Would you sunbathe in the middle of a 6 lane highway?
About a year ago, two teenage girls did something quite similar to that. According to WMUR, Rachel Brown, 14, and Destiny Phaneuf, 13, were struck by a New Hampshire North Coast gravel train while sunbathing on a trestle in Lebanon, Maine. Both girls survived, but Brown suffered an amputation at her ankle, and Phaneuf suffered an amputation below her knee, as well as a head injury. Could a similar event happen in Durham?
As everyone knows, there are active railroad tracks that go through Durham and surrounding communities. For some people, they are a shortcut to school or an ice cream shop, while others use them for recreation.
However, trespassing on railroad tracks is not only dangerous, it's against the law. "In any town it's illegal to walk on active railroad tracks or any part of the right of way that is controlled by the railroad," stated Oyster River School Resource Officer Ed Levesque.
There are several reasons to stay off the tracks. "Many of the trains which go through Durham are traveling at a high rate of speed and do not have the ability to stop very quickly. When you walk on railroad tracks it is very hard to judge just how fast they really are going and anyone who does so puts themselves at risk of serious injury or death," explained Levesque.
The train that hit the girls in Lebanon was going 15 miles per hour. The trains that go through Durham often go over 80 miles per hour.
Despite the laws and risks, many Oyster River students trespass on train tracks, anyway. Senior Rachel Downs admitted to using a short cut in Dover to an ice cream shop that crosses train tracks. "You can't get from your car to the ice
cream place without getting across [them], she said. "I don't give a s*** if they arrest me or fine me. They'll have to do it to everyone who's been to Dover."
A very common location where students trespass on the tracks is the trestle people like to jump off into the Lamprey River. "It's a very good spot," said Oyster River senior Stephen Willson. "It's really isolated, the water's really nice, and it's a pretty good drop."
Senior Gabe Dorfman-Hopkins, also enjoys his jumps from the trestle. He claims that jumping from the bridge isn't illegal, since you don't actually go on the tracks. "The railroad tracks are only a small part of the bridge," he said. "There's like ten feet between you and the railroad tracks. You could be standing on the bridge and a train could come by and it's no danger to you."
However, Dorfman-Hopkins may be in for a rude awakening. According to Levesque, the laws also include any railroad bridges or railroad trestles. He stated, "It is illegal to be standing on, jumping from, walking on, etc. from the trestle."
Levesque mentioned that police officers make frequent checks, especially at the trestle on nice days, and there are also consequences for those who do trespass. "In some cases a warning may be issued and the person asked to leave and in other more serious incidents the person may receive a summons to court or [be] arrested," he said. "The charges would be Criminal Trespassing and the consequence would be at the discretion of the Court. It could range from a fine up to $2,000.00 and/or up to one year in jail if they were charged with a class A misdemeanor."
According to Lyman Cousens, the Coordinator of Operation Lifesaver in New Hampshire, while the possibility of a fine or arrest exists, judges tend to be very sympathetic. Cousens thinks the best way to keep people off the tracks is education. Operation Lifesaver visits schools in the area to educate students on rail safety issues. Cousens doesn't believe that anyone has been cited for trespassing, lately. "I like to think our educational efforts before Amtrak started service are paying off," he said.
At the college level, the UNH police department has been educating the college students on rail safety. "UNH has done a terrific job educating students about hazards of trespassing," said Cousens.
Willson, on the other hand, still enjoys his jumps for now. "I'm aware it's illegal," he said. "I use the 'do not jump' sign to climb up to the trestle." However, Wilson mentioned that he's never seen a cop at the trestle. "I [leave] before the cops show," he said.
Levesque summed things up by saying, "I feel it is very important everyone obey all laws pertaining to trespassing on railroad right of ways."
It's incredible when the most junior departing teacher, Dwight Phetteplace, has been teaching at Oyster River for 'only' 7 years. Although compared to some of his colleagues, his time at Oyster River has been short, his impact has been anything but.
Phetteplace brings a keen sense of humor and warm personability to the school which will be sorely missed.
"He's really funny," commented student Bridget Hart, in reference to what is by far his most well known trait. When asked about his favorite aspect of teaching at Oyster River, he casually replied, "June, July and August." His ability to never take anything too seriously has made him a favorite science teacher among students.
But on a serious note, his favorite thing about teaching at Oyster River has been "the students. The kids are really good here… I've been saying for a really long time that I have really good kids this year, and I've realized that I say it every year."
Now that he is retiring from his teaching career (he previously taught at Bow High School), Phetteplace hopes to pursue his other numerous interests. "I'm going to put a lot more energy into my music business," he said. For those who don't know, Phetteplace is a folk and blues singer as well as classical guitarist in his spare time, who mostly works weddings and parties. In retirement, he also hopes to stay active by biking, hiking, and "doing things I like to."
In reference to Phetteplace and fellow science teacher Laura Parsons retiring, teacher Celeste Best said that, "It will be hard to fill their shoes…All of them are great losses."
The senior class of 2009 won't be the only members of the Oyster River High School community leaving and moving on from the classrooms and halls of the high school.
Accompanying the class of 2009 in their departure will be many teachers, including science teacher Laura Parsons. It was in 1970 when Mrs. Parson started her teaching career. However, it wasn't until 1992 that Mrs. Parsons made the move here to Oyster River. Having seen many different faces and having worked with an abundance of personalities, Parsons has used her teaching skills to educate and guide hundreds if not thousands of students. Now, 17 years later, she has decided it is time to trade in the teaching life for the retirement life.
"I have some great friends here," said Parsons. Now she will enjoy "exercising, quilting, and seeing (her) kids more often." Parsons will leave one of many positions which will need to be filled by somebody new. Having played a role in hiring people in the past, this task is nothing new.
"Mrs. Parsons was on my hiring committee," science teacher Celeste Best said. "The other people were intimidating, so I just looked at her the whole time."
Students will miss and always remember Parsons for her caring and passionate attitude towards the sciences as well as the Oyster River community. "I think that she genuinely cares about kids," said senior Jon Owens. "I really enjoyed her class."
After 22 years of service, Oyster River bids farewell to one of its most senior teachers, math teacher Carol Szot. Like many other teachers this year, unique retirement bonuses have prompted her to retire early.
"It was a very difficult decision for me to make," said Szot. She will miss "the students and my colleagues." But with 39 years behind her, (she previously taught at Somersworth High School), Szot is happy to take a break. In a word, her next ambition is "gardening," although she also wants to "try to become a computer geek."
Szot's contributions will be sorely missed. "She was really dedicated to her students and her class, and she obviously did a lot of work," said her former student Rachel Downs. "She definitely prepared me for upper level math classes."
Among her fellow teachers, her absence will be noticeable also. "She's very consistent, and we can always count on her for help when we need it," commented math teacher Brendan Whalen. "She cares about her students and how they do…She will be missed greatly."
In the high school library, a dozen students sit at desktops, doing everything from watching you tube videos to plotting science lab data. A class works at some tables covered in reference books and papers, each student with their own laptop. On the other side of the room, a few students relax by reading newspapers, magazines, and publications from National Review to Mother Jones. Such is an almost constant scene in the library.
The credit for making it such truly belongs to our librarian Kathy Kentner, who will be leaving Oyster River High School this year to retire. When Kentner first came to Oyster River, the library was a very different place. The only electronic resources were a single analog computer, record players, and non digital projectors.
Thanks to her work, the library has become a completely different place since then. A single analog computer has been replaced by rows of advanced desktops, which when combined with hundred of magazines and reference books make research comparatively light work, and entertain students. The school has access to several research data bases, such as EBSCO and ProQuest, where students can search through every form of information imaginable and access current issues of thousands of publications. "The technology has changed enormously…there's always something to learn, new ways to get information in here," said Kentner.
But Kentner's legacy will be far more than updating technology. "She made the library a welcoming place to come to," commented Social Studies teacher Pam Raiford. "She's also a great promoter of the humanities."
Senior Lauren Banker said that, "She's very attentive. She's right there when you walk in."
And what is Kentner's favorite part of the job? It's "working with the kids and the teachers," commented Kentner. "It's interesting to see how kids change over time."
As to her retirement, Kentner has many plans. She hopes to travel more to see her two sons and their families, pursue new adventures and experiences, and even learn pottery. "I'll look forward to having more time for myself," said Kentner.
The oldest exposed surface on the Earth is New Zealand’s south island.
"I had Mr. Herlihy as a teacher for three years. It stinks to see him go, because he has influenced a lot of people, and he values every student's opinion. I'm going to miss him a lot," said Senior Jordan Caldon about the retirement of social studies teacher, Alex Herlihy.
That's right, Herlihy, who has been here for 33 years, will not be returning to Oyster River in the fall, despite initially planning on retiring after next year.
"The school board offered me a buyout to retire this year instead of next," he said to explain his early departure.
A buyout happens when there is a surplus of money. The money can be used to offer a teacher incentive to retire early. Herlihy said that the buyout is less money then he usually makes, and that his early retirement is an economical decision on the school's part.
He explained this by saying, "everyone is cutting back because of the economy, and teachers who have been here a long time are paid more than a teacher who is new. Everyone is paying attention to spending right now, including the school district."
Most people know Herlihy because of the Russian Exchange Program at Oyster River. It was first started in the days of the Soviet Union. "The first year it was just going to be a one [time] thing. Then when I had a new group of students, they found out about the trip to the Soviet Union and kept asking me every day to take them. So I asked the administration if we could go again, and 21 years later here we are," he said.
Herlihy will miss the students the most. "I will miss the fun, inspiration, and spontaneity that they bring to the class. This year one of my freshmen classes noticed a poster on Buddhism in my room and started an entire discussion on the religion and 'right speech.' They led the entire class discussion themselves. They probably got more out of that discussion than anything that they would have gotten out of reading a book. Interacting with the students has kept me young."
He has greatly enjoyed working here at Oyster River. "I feel very fortunate to have taught here. The spirit of this school is open, free, and positive. It has always been easy to start up new programs; the most recent example is my Russian Studies class. We have always been free to initiate things. That hasn't been blocked," he said.
His parting words to the students of Oyster River are, "Keep demanding more from us [teachers]. Don't settle for the mediocre. Shoot for the stars."
By Daniel Day
When many people look back at their high school careers, they often think about the people who made a difference in their lives. In most cases these people are teachers, but at Oyster River, there is one particular staff member who has touched many people at the school, and who will be leaving after the 2008-09 school year.
After 17 years of delivering packages, cleaning up, taking out trash, opening the doors, and doing favors for the teachers and students, Oyster River School custodian Dan Webber has decided it's time to retire and move on.
"I'm old," he explained. "I just want to relax and do other stuff." Webber mentioned that he will be doing a lot of work around the house, including constructing a car port and garage, as well as taking up some gardening.
However, while he enjoys his retirement, he will definitely be missed by the Oyster River community. Junior Kristen Silverman is one student who will miss Dan Webber next year. "He's a cool guy," she said.
Kate Nichols, a paraprofessional and '99 graduate, has always appreciated Webber's presence. "[My class] dedicated our yearbook to Dan Webber because of all the great things he did for our class and for everyone in the school," she said. "Sometimes he goes under appreciated but he really makes an effort to know the kids."
Nichols mentioned that Webber was present at their graduation rehearsal, and instead of handing out fake diplomas as was normally done, he handed all 133 students a personalized letter he had written for each one. "It meant so much to me that I still have the letter right with my yearbook," stated Nichols. "It will be a very different school without seeing Dan every day."
As Webber's years at Oyster River come to an end, Webber leaves the following advice. "Be creative. Believe you can help change the world sometimes. People can if enough people get together."
Would you like to see your artwork displayed in a museum? Then go to Oyster River High School's Senior Art Show! The show’s opening is from 5:30 to 8 on June 5th at the Museum of Art of UNH, located in the Paul Creative Arts Center. The exhibit will remain open on saturday.
The exhibit showcases art of all forms that have been created by Oyster River Seniors. Any senior who has taken an art class is eligible to enter, if the art is well-crafted and representative of their best work.
The driest place on the earth is a series of valleys near Ross Island in Antarctica where no rain has fallen for the past 2 million years.
Ian Young: High Point University
Will Walker: Savannah College of Art and Design
David Willson: Northeastern University
Stephen Willson: University of New Hampshire
Chris Wood: Colorado State University
Emily Wood: Emerson College
Samantha Bagdon: Plymouth State University
Lauren Banker: University of New Hampshire
Megan Bassett: University of New Hampshire
Bridgette Beagan: University of New Hampshire
Kai Beaton: Indigo Plateau to become the Poké champion
Lauren Beladi: San Diego State University
Pamela Benassi: University of New Hampshire
Jean-François Benoît: University of New Hampshire
Ramzi Bensaid: Cornell University
Zack Benuck: St. Michael's College
Lucy Bicks: Vassar College
Travis Blumenthal: Champlain College
Miles Brady: Great Bay Community College
Eryn Brennan: University of New Hampshire
Noah Brickner-Wood: Green Mountain College or British Columbia
Chantal Brideau: New Hampshire Technical Institute
Judy Brideau: New Hampshire Technical Institute
Jesse Brown: Great Bay Community College then UNH
Tony Brownell: Ithaca College
Andrea Buccini: University of New Hampshire
Bridgete Burns: Susquehanna University
Chris Butterfield: University of New Hampshire
Angela Nieves: Year off
Ella Nimmo: Lewis and Clark College
Michael Noronha: U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Jordan Caldon: Johnson State
Matt Carter: Working as an EMT, then Paramedic School
Owen Chalmers: New Hampshire Technical Institute
Brett Chamberlin: New York University
Daisy Chinburg: Cornell University
Lana Ciali: University of New Hampshire
Bev Cole: Mexico
Marie Collins: University of New Hampshire
Aillinn Connors: Emerson College
Pete Constantino: Year off
Ashley Cox: Work, then Keene State College
Tess Crane-Stenslie: Rhode Island College
Gigi Crudele: Year off
Tucker MacIsaac: Colorado Mountain College
Jewelle Matheny: Principia College
Trevor McMahon: Ithaca College
Fred Meissner: University of Vermont
Adam Mistretta: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
David Mistretta: Roger Williams University
Sam Modigliani: Hofstra University
Pat "The Man" Monahan: Reppin' BPC in Durham
Vicky Murphy: Undecided
Laura Gallant: Rhode Island School of Design
Amaryth Gass: University of Unicorns
Owen Gehling: Tulane University
Brian Gitschier: George Washington University
Paul Grant: Working
Jake Gross: Oregon and California to Skate
Delaney Guerino: University of Maine Orono
Gabrielle Guerra: Plymouth State University
Jared Perkins: Working/Reppin' BPC in Durham
Robert Perkins: New Hampshire Technical Institute
Julie Peters: Goucher College
Graham Phelps: UVM or British Columbia
-Rob Lane-
Luke Sahagian: Lehigh University
Maggie Salmon: Plymouth State University
Kelsey Sanders: University of Vermont
Dahlia Sawtelle: Cornell University
Rachel Schmidt: Mount Holyoke College
Bethany Sharbaugh: Anderson University
Eileen Slavin: Sacred Heart University
Ellen-Claire Slepian: SUNY Canton
Gauge Smerdon: Working
Tyler Smith: Keene State College
Max Snelling: Endicott College
Analise Stettner: Marymount University
Pat Stevens: School of Hard Knocks
Liz Strong: Florida Gulf Coast
Ali Sturtevant: Northeastern University
Alexa Szilagyi: Montserrat College of Art
Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
"I am very excited about moving on to college and leaving high school."
"I will definitely miss my friends but I know I'll make more and then see mine when I come home."
-Bethany Sharbaugh-
“Not having the same constant schedule and same routine will be a nice change and I greatly look forward to it.”
-Kyle Libby-
"I don't think life should be all about high school, it is time to move on. It's just another step forward in the whole scheme of things."
-Alex Knoll-
Glenn Evans: Newicks/Reppin' BPC in Durham
Kayla Evans: University of New Hampshire
TRachel Taylor: St. Lawrence University
Emily Tong: Bryn Mawr College
Sarah Trombley: University of New Hampshire
Eryn True: Drexel University
Brian Kim: Bowdoin College
Devyn Kirby: University of Vermont
Alex Knoll: St. Lawrence University
Martha Kobus: University of New Hampshire
-Eric Raymond-
Patrick J. Hannigan: Colorado School of Trades
Bryce Harding: Year off
Bridget Grace Hart: St. Anselm's College
Sarah Hatch: Great Bay Community College
Laura Heckel: American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Kara Henn: College of Wooster
Haley Heather: University of San Francisco
Eliza Hill: Hofstra University
Emily Hobson: University of New Hampshire
Lisa Hoff: Cazenovia College
Nate Hoff: University of New Hampshire
Rob Lane: George Washington University
Karissa Layden: University of New Hampshire
Hannah Legard: Great Bay Community College
Irene Lemire: North Carolina Culinary Arts
Sam Levesque: New England School of Photography
Weilin Li: Cornell University
Kyle Libby: University of New Hampshire
Aliana Linenkemper: Straight chillin'
Emily Long: Taking classes at UNH
Tommy Lynch: St. Anselm's College
Robbie Daigle: Southern Maine University
Lia Daniel: University of New Hampshire
Greg M. Davidson: St. Anselm's College
Andrew Davis: Lakes Regional College
Daniel Day: University of New Hampshire
Matt DeGrace: University of New Hampshire
Courtney Dennis: St. Joseph's University
Zach Derr: Year off/Maybe Americorps
Mike Desrosiers: Year Off
Joseph Didonna: University of New Hampshire
Ben Doller: Temple University
Keaton Donovan: Evergreen State College
Gabriel Dorfsman-Hopkins: Dartmouth College
Rachel Downs: Brandeis University
Caylee Doyle: Great Bay Community College
Susanna Rainey: Keene State College
Joe Rankin: University of Maine Orono
Stephanie Holovich: Empire Beauty School of Porstmouth
Emily Howard: Costal Carolina University
Jamie Howard: University of New Hampshire
Ricky Hoyt: U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis
Kate Huddleston: Clemson University
Catey Huntley: Undecided
Phoebe James: University of New Hampshire
Jenny Jing: University of New Hampshire
Yang Yang Jing: McGill University
A Eyad Achraf: University of New Hampshire
Tomi Afolayan: University of New Hampshire
Emily Allen: College of the Holy Cross
Faye Allison: Emerson College
Sarah Anderson: Keene State College
Eric Raymond: Taking a year to plan out the future
Nicole Reynolds: Straight chillin'
Austin Richard: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Matt Rines: University of New Hampshire
Kathy Robbins: Working
Mary Roberts: Chester College of New England
Maddy Robertson: University of New Hampshire
James Rochford: Virginia Tech
Ben Rollins: Sussex University
Thomas Forbes: Traveling/Reppin' BPC in Durham
Alex Freid: University of New Hampshire
Jilliane Friel: University of New Hampshire
Zoey Frolking: Mount Allison University
"The world is a much bigger place than where I have grown up and it will be cool to see what else there is out there."
-Owen Gehling-
All school logo’s courtesy of: www.cornell.edu www.mcgill.ca www.gwu.edu www.unh.edu www.drexel.edu www.plymouth.edu www.tulane.edu www.stlawu.edu
Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
"I am going to take a year and decide what to do with my future, it should be a crazy adventure."
Next time you reach for a diet drink, imagine receiving a cancer diagnosis before you pop the top. You may have noticed that nearly every drink in the cafeteria has been replaced with its "diet" counterpart. For a while now, diet drinks have
"Taste buds are built to experience a range of flavors, from sweet to sour to bitter. If a person eats more sweet substances the body gets accustomed to it and begins to crave more sweetness. That, in turn, can lead to increased consumption of unhealthy products, like soda or candy," she said.
Of course that could happen with natural sweeteners such as sugar as well. But Susan Swithers, a researcher at Purdue University explained later in the article why artificial sweeteners differ.
"When you consume artificially sweetened products, the sweet receptors in your taste buds are activated, but your stomach never receives the anticipated calories. That could disrupt the body's physiological response, probably causing more people to eat more food overall," she said.
been slowly seeping into the world around us, offering us a low calorie alternative to our favorite beverages. Promoting themselves with weight loss and a "great taste" they have become more and more common as a "healthy alternative." But how healthy are they really? By drinking them will you really lose weight?
Sugar has long been dubbed 'bad' because of its calories and potential for causing tooth decay. Sweeteners have become popular, because they provide the sweet taste of sugar, without the calories.
The American Dietetic Association confirmed this belief by saying, "Researchers found that those who incorporated reducedcalorie products consumed more vitamins and minerals such as calcium, fiber, iron and more in their diets. Thus, the researchers found while participants were eating fewer calories overall, they were also eating more healthfully."
However, despite the claim that artificial sweeteners can help someone lose weight, there is evidence that suggests the opposite.
Another study confirmed this possibility. At Purdue University, psychologists fed a group of rats yogurt sweetened with glucose (a natural sugar that has some calories), and another group of rats yogurt that was sweetened with saccharine (a no-calorie artificial sweetener). The rats that were fed the saccharine yogurt later consumed more calories, gained more weight, more fat, and did not make up for the gain by cutting back later.
Saccharin is in Sweet’ N Low
This theory could explain why scientists have discovered a link between diet sodas and metabolic syndrome, or possibly the rise in obesity. Metabolic syndrome is when a person has 3 out of 5 cardiovascular issues. These include elevated blood pressure, increased weight circumference, low "good" cholesterol, and high blood sugar or fat levels. Statistically, people who consume diet drinks daily have a 34% higher risk of getting metabolic syndrome.
Whether or not drinking diet drinks can cause weight gain is still inconclusive, but many scientists agree that artificial sweeteners shouldn't be a significant part of a healthy diet. This is because they fall short when it
With nearly 2 out of 3 American adults being overweight or obese, this certainly sounds appealing to many people. But research on artificial sweeteners has not been completely conclusive. Other studies have found that the lack of nutritional value of the sweeteners can lead to opposite effect.
Aspartame is lurking within this box of Equal
comes to nutritional value. They take place of foods that provide nutrition, while offering little value to replace the loss.
More controversy has surrounded artificial sweeteners than just possible weight gain. In the past different sweeteners have been linked to a variety of cancers. These allegations were declared false by the FDA, but the rising trend in obesity has been continuously investigated over the years.
In an article in Teen Vogue, the possibility that diet drinks can cause weight gain was investigated. In the article, Ravi Dhingra, an M.D. at Harvard Medical School, offered her take on sweeteners. She believes the caramel content in sodas and the sweet taste on the tongue could be affecting how the body reacts to the sweeteners.
Sucralose can be found in drinks that are sweetened by Splenda
There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
If you consume diet drinks, it’s your own choice. Just make sure you consider all of your options before you take your favorite soda.
Bittersweet continues on Page X
"I'm against diet drinks. They taste gross." - Aaron Moss
"In Vitamin Water 10 there is a very unpleasant aftertaste."
- Lisa Hoff.
“When I do drink soda it’s diet, because artificial sweeteners are less sticky sweet then the sweeteners in normal soda.” - Maria Rosi
Aspartame: First approved in 1981, this sweetener is found in NutraSweet and Equal. In the 1996, concerns were raised that it was linked to brain cancer due to the increase in both aspartame consumption and the disease. After testing on humans and animals these allegations were dismissed.
Later an experiment found a high percentage of Leukemia in rats that were fed high doses of the sweetener. They did not exhibit a positive association with one another so the link was dismissed.
In 2007 the same researches conducted another experiment by exposing rats to aspartame while they were still being developed in the uterus. This experiment strengthened the possibility that it causes leukemia, and it added breast cancer to the list as well.
Aspartame is still approved for consumption because a study showed that aspartame provides no risk to people. However, the study was only 5 years long, and the previous studies on rats showed lifelong symptoms, not short-term.
Saccharin: This sweetener was discovered in 1879 and is found in Sweet'N'Low and SugarTwin. In 1977 the FDA banned it after it was linked to bladder cancer in rats. Later studies showed that the cancer was caused by a mechanism that is not found in humans. This caused the ban to be lifted. However, in other studies on rodents, it has been shown to cause cancer in the uterus, ovaries, skin, blood vessels, and increases other cancer causing chemicals.
Sucralose: Made by infusing chlorine into sugar, this sweetener is found in Splenda. It is not recognized by the body as a carbohydrate. It cannot be digested, or metabolized for energy, cause tooth decay, or effect glucose levels. There is no current evidence that it may cause cancer, which makes it appear to be the most safe of the three.
Next time you reach for your diet soda or ice tea, think about the potential side effects. Despite there being no conclusive evidence that they cause cancer or weight gain, there is no conclusive evidence that it doesn't. The results of scientific studies are constantly being reinvestigated and changed. By drinking diet drinks you are risking potential negative side effects, and weight gain, the very things diet drinks are out to prevent.
The world is a crazy place. Humans pride themselves on being the most intelligent and evolved creatures on the planet. That's why it's hard to believe when things like these happen. Check out some weird news briefs from other parts of the world. (All articles courtesy of Yahoo Odd News, MSNBC, and sfgate.com)
Couple Arrested For Sex on Lawn at Windsor Castle England, an inebriated couple recently was caught proving their love to each other at Queen Elizabeth's home. The Queen was in residence, and several tours of the castle grounds were in progress. The couple was spotted by a guard who was on duty and he alerted his fellow sentries. The couple was arrested for public indecency. They were filmed by a Japanese couple until the police arrived.
Cowboy Ticketed for 'Riding Under the Influence' Colorado, Sgt. Jeff Monzingo recently issued his first citation for riding an animal under the influence to an drunken cowboy. The cowboy was riding a horse through a strip mall while drunk and he was given a $25 ticket. Police had difficulty handling the case because you can tow a car, but not a horse.
Disney Parks Stop Scans for Topless Riders
California, Disney will no longer scan pictures taken during rides for flashers. If someone has visited a Disney park you may have noticed that shots from certain rides are available for purchase. The pictures on display are normally scanned to filter photos of guests who felt like flashing. These pictures will no longer be taken out of the display because these instances are rare. The rides that are making the switch include Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, and California Screamin'. If someone wishes to purchase a picture and someone is exposed in it, it will not be sold.
One of the several rides where indecency can take place
Austrian Gets World Record for 707,335 Coffins
Austria, a carpenter recently entered the Guinness Book of World Records by making more coffins then any other carpenter. It took him 30 years to set the record.
California, a man was arrested for smuggling song birds into the United States in an interesting way. He used custom made leggings to hide more then 10 birds in his pants by attaching them with buttons. He was spotted when a guard noticed bird droppings and feathers by the man's feet.
Every Swiss citizen is required to have access to a bomb shelter by law.
The hiding place
Did you know Oyster River High School once owned a space ship? This amazingly true fact was shocking news to many current students and faculty when asked about memories of the Apollo space capsule that was once parked in front of the old high school.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Oyster River science teacher Dwight Phetteplace, when asked about the topic.
According to a 1988 Mouth of the River issue, a student found the space capsule in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard dump, and asked Science Teacher Eleanor Milliken, now retired, if the school could possibly get it. After raising the money, the science department purchased the space capsule in 1973 for $50. From 1973 until sometime in the 90's, the Apollo space capsule was parked right outside the planetarium, which also is no longer present.
However, the space capsule never went into space. It was a test capsule for the Apollo 8 project, and was an exact replica, minus the windows and interior. It was dropped from a helicopter into the ocean for divers to practice recovering the capsule. According to Wikipedia, the actual 7 1/2 ton Apollo 8 capsule completed the first mission to orbit the moon. Its three astronauts were the first humans to see the dark side of the moon in person.
Social Studies Teacher Alex Herlihy remembers the space capsule, and noted that he parked next to it for many years. According to Herlihy, astronomy was really big back then, and there was a lot of interest.
Herlihy credited Milliken for the presence of both the space capsule and the planetarium. "She was a very dynamic science teacher," he said. He
mentioned that she motivated students to build the planetarium, and got them involved with the fundraising.
He said that astronomy classes were really popular, and actually taught in the planetarium.
"She really got students to take action," he said.
Paul Gasowski, a former English teacher, also remembers the space capsule. Gasowski emphasized the unique role both the space capsule and the planetarium played in the school. "The planetarium was a landmark for our school, and the capsule was symbolic of the planetarium," he said. "It was a benchmark of our place."
Cross country coach Greg Gephart was also a former science teacher who taught in the planetarium. He stressed how unique the planetarium was to our school. "We were one of less than 10 schools in the country to have one," he said.
The planetarium was so unique, that Denise Day, a Berlin High School graduate, recalled visiting the planetarium on a field trip in high school. She also mentioned seeing the space capsule outside. "I do remember how proud the students were during their demonstration," she said.
However, according to Herlihy, the interest of the students change with the times. Courses in many departments have been replaced with newer ones.
Gasowski also recalled the change in interest. "When [Milliken] left, [the planetarium] was still operational for awhile. Then gradually the classes disappeared."
Auditorium Technical Director, Andy Dolph, who graduated Oyster River in '95, remembered the space capsule there, but didn't think much of it. "It just sat there next to the dumpster," he stated.
Today, it seems to be unknown where the space capsule ended up, or exactly when it was taken. Gasowski thought it was in the way of the construction. "I think when they broke ground for the high school expansion it was just taken away. They cleared the trees and took it away then. I think it was given away. I don't think it was taken to the trash."
However, Herlihy had a different theory. "It probably fell apart," he said.
Math Teacher Bill Reeves believes the capsule was removed way before construction began on the high school. He thought it was removed sometime between ‘94 and ‘96. "It was there in the spring, but wasn't there in the fall," he commented. Reeves believes it went to a collection.
According to the 1988 Mouth of the River article, Doug Knight, a former science teacher at Oyster River, mentioned how it was often vandalized. "We used to paint it every year but every time we did it would get graffiti and vandalism done to it. I would like to see something done with it. Any suggestions would be appreciated," he told the 1988 Mouth of the River.
Reeves had a similar explanation. "The school wanted to get rid of it. It was starting to rust and they trucked it away."
However, what actually happened to the capsule remains a mystery. In a recent phone interview with Knight, he didn't remember much about the space capsule. "Every once in a while someone asks me about that, I have no idea," he stated.
Unfortunately, Milliken, the one person who might be able to solve the mystery, was unavailable for comment.
Reeves and Gephart both think it's too bad the planetarium is gone. "It was a one of a kind display," Reeves explained.
Gephart mentioned the benefit students got out of the planetarium. "Looking at a flat screen is not the same as a planetarium."
South Africa used to have 2 official languages, now it has 11.
Looking for something awesome to do this summer? Tired of sitting on your couch watching stale reruns? Sick of falling asleep in the middle of the day because you have nothing to do, only to wake up two hours later with a little bit of drool on your shirt? Well here's your chance to get out there and do some fun stuff! There is plenty going on this summer that is available to you on most days during your summer weeks.
Wells Beach is great to go to on a cloudy day, which is a perfect beach day if, like yours truly, you sunburn worse than the Irishman who spent too much time in the tanning bed in the movie Waking Ned Divine.
- From June 13-June 28 catch the annual Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Competition. The contest will end on June 20th with an awards ceremony and a fireworks show.
-Heading north for some sightseeing or hiking in the White Mountains is a fun way to keep cool on a hot summer day...just make sure that you Mapquest and Yahoo Maps the locations you plan to stop at, otherwise you could get yourself lost!
-If you are more in the mood for staying local, Mrs. Rosi recommends Stonehouse Pond, a set of hiking trails right in Barrington.
- Bring your kayaks for a paddle on the Bellamy Reservoir or Great Bay. If you aren't the kayak owning sort, don't fear! You can rent them Mendum's Pond. Sophomore Molly Phelps says about Mendum's, "It's really nice there. You get food sun. The water isn't too cold to swim." Kayaker and Art Teacher Tim Lawrence kayaks often in Portsmouth. Lawrence says of kayaking, “I go solo. It is time for me to commune with nature.” He winkingly add’s, “ it’s also time for me to get the hell away f rom people!”
Lawrence appreciates kayaking because, “it is always different. It makes you have great respect for the environment. It keeps me scared of the ocean, which is a good thing. It humbles me.”
-Fruit picking: Looking to scout out some excellent berries? Try places such as Demerit Hill in Lee, Emery Farm on Route 4 or Butternut Farm in Farmington.
-Head across the street from Emery farm and have a picnic at Wagon Hill. Junior Rachel Chioto says of Wagon Hill, “I like to go on picnics with my friends. Down by the bay there is a grassy area that is pretty and cool.:”
Article continued on page 12...
The
c
For a day of arting it up, visit:
St. Gauden's Natural Historic Site-Though it is practically across the state, this Saint-Gauden's is well worth a scenic drive! The historic site is essentially a museum of the house, gardens and artwork of one of America's greatest sculptors, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens possessed incredible sculpting skills, and amassed astonishing wealth, which allowed him to live amidst stunning gardens and luxury on the border of New Hampshire and Vermont. Be warned though: you need to check the website http://www.nps.gov/saga for directions, because Mapquest will get you lost!
Currier Museum of Art- If you need an artistic fix that is closer to home, the Currier boasts roughly 13,000 works of Contemporary, European, Modern and American Art all right in Manchester.
-Portsmouth: Check out galleries such as Nahcotta on the Congress Street Gallery. Both galleries are filled with whimsical and beautiful pieces of artwork to brighten your day.
Dante's in Barrington-Dante's on route 125 near Calef's serves a delicious appetizer of tall, crunchy breadsticks that you dip in a small bowl of balsamic vinegar and oil. Instead of having desert at Dantes however, peel on out and head down route 125 another mile and a half and hit Sugar and Ice. Admire the painted cows and life-size ice cream cone shaped trash bins while you enjoy your delicious family-made confection.
Calef's on route 9 in Barrington-It is amazing how many OR kiddos don't know about Calef's, the Barrington candy and general store complete with old fashioned charm, homemade oatmeal bread, and bubble gum that still costs 1¢. Are you looking for unique and old fashioned penny candies? Then Calef's is your place. Whistle pops, flying saucer foam candy with sprinkles on the inside, fizz candies, giant lollipops and oldfashioned puff confections made on location are guaranteed to be a highlight of your summer vacation!
It was the thunderstorm in the middle of the night which definitely added to the experience last weekend. Unlike many other 24-hour stories which usually deal with the taping of thumbs or the indulgence in video games, I spent 24 hours in the best place possible; the outdoors. Originally I was going to be spending the time in complete solitude but by the nagging of others, I brought along seniors Alex Knoll and Kyle Libby.
The time in the outdoors is always a time when I personally feel at home and most relaxed, even more so when you are far away from society and the problems which constantly trouble the world. Equipped with a tent and a couple of blankets, we embarked on our journey during the afternoon hours of a sunny Sunday. For food we brought: frozen burgers, hot dogs, and candy. Drinks mainly consisted of water with the exception of Kyle's root beer. Lastly, we had two air mattresses and one sleeping pad, which would later prove to be the best option.
With the tent up, the food and bedding unpacked, I worked on making a fire so we would be able to cook dinner. Using the old school method of two sticks and some broken up twine, we had a fire going in no time and soon enough we were on our way to delightful times. The afternoon and evening went by without much excitement. Some stories and memories from high school and earlier years were shared but it was when we decided to call it a night that everything became much more exciting.
Just before getting in the tent for the night Kyle and I had the bright idea to put the rain fly on the top. It had been humid all day and the weather was starting to cool down and dry out so I knew there was a strong possibility of thunderstorms. Like I said before, the sleeping pad would prove to be the wisest decision. Around 3:00 A.M. the pitter pattering of the rain woke us up. Alex and Kyle were both on the ground, their air mattresses having deflated while they slept. Around 3:30 the storm really blew in. The sky opened up and the rain pelted the tent, thunder stirred the air and lightning illuminated the dark night. Thanks to the rain fly, we stayed dry but once the storm moved on we were left in the freshly chilled night air.
Getting up early to the sounds of the earth waking is something that I enjoy, but I can't say the same for the other members of the trip. Kyle enjoys his sleep and was not pleased to be up with the birds and the sun. Looking outside, my suspicions were confirmed, the fire had gone out and everything was left soaked by the rain. Knowing we were leaving in a few hours it was decided that starting another fire was unnecessary and that we would be perfectly ok without the warmth of the flames and a hot breakfast. After packing up the tent and our air mattresses we piled in the car and headed back into the 21st century.
It was definitely a good time being in the woods for 24 hours. It wasn't one of the more exciting adventures I have been on but being outdoors and away from everything is an experience that people must have at least once in their life.
The English Channel grows 300 mm per year.
Luke Sahagian walks out of school towards his parked car after a long day of classes and a hard cross country practice. As Luke nears his car he notices an unusual mark on his car, as he gets closer he notices the unusual mark stretches the length of his car. Who did this? Why did they do this? This student is just another victim of senseless vandalism and is one of the central reason for the implementation of security cameras at Oyster River.
Security Cameras could be installed at Oyster River possibly before the end of the school year. The cameras are being installed to mainly attempt to deter thefts, vandalism and other forms of illicit activity. The initial cost of the cameras will be paid for by a grant from the Durham Police Department. With the installation comes the possibility of restoration of privileges for students such as the possible installment of an open campus policy allowing students to
find promising.
The theft of personal items from student's lockers and cars like iPods, cell phones and other belongings as well as school equipment has increased this year and is one of the many reasons for the security cameras being implemented. "I have had one or two cases a week this year of someone getting property stolen ranging from money to cell phones and iPods," says Sergeant Ed Levesque the resource officer to Oyster River High School. "These thefts have been almost impossible to track down the culprits and have taken the time of valuable faculty members and police officers," says Laura Rogers the principal at Oyster River High School. Items such as laptops, video cameras from the video production classes as well as science equipment have been stolen this school year alone.
Vandalism is a large part as well for the reasoning of the installation of the security cameras. "With the cameras we would be able to take care of the vandalism and we could go after the people that do it and have them pay for it rather than the school," says Sara Watton an assistant principal at Oyster River. The vandalism stretches from in the school to its outdoor facilities such as parking and even the bus drop off and pickup area by the school. Vandalism on students cars have been on the rise in recent years including the keying and slashing of tires belonging to students. "Students that are involved in athletics that are away at games shouldn't have to worry about their cars while they're gone" says Rogers.
The Final cost of the Cameras is yet to be fully determined but is near $24,000. A federal grant will cover half of the initial cost of the security cameras though the other half will be covered by the district. "If it deters vandalism and theft in the end it is worth it to the taxpayers," says Rogers. "It is a lot cheaper to prevent the damage that it is to fix it".
Students have had mixed opinions to the installation of the security cameras in their school. "I think its fine as long as they aren't using the cameras to spy on us and being sketchy with it," says Oyster river student Bethany Sharbaugh. Wotton says though that is not the purpose for the cameras, "It's not so much about students leaving but vandalism and theft". Still some students are weary of the cameras, such as Oyster River Student Owen Chalmers "I think it's a waste of money. People are just going to take down the cameras in the parking lot just because they can." Some students even doubt the validity of the cameras "I don't think they are going to be real," says student Bridget hart. "If they were real I don't think the things they stop will equal the cost."
Students like Sharbaugh agree "I don't believe we have a big enough problem that can make it worth spending all that money," Though student opinion may vary the School is adamant about the installation of the security cameras. They believe that the initial cost of the cameras will be out weighed by the usefulness of them as a deterrent and the ability it gives to track down culprits. "Anything we can do to make the students feel and be safer I see as a positive," says Rogers.
During winter in Moscow, skating rinks cover more than 25,000 sq. meters of land.
Emily Allen:
Sayward: the car
Owen: 3 more years of high school
Imma, Liz, Iesha, and Becca: true field hockey team
Liz and Leslie-Ann: long bus rides to Berlin Mere: brownies
Tweedle dee & Tweedle dumb: "5 push-ups" and lots of sprints Sam: your posse
Sarah Anderson:
Kylee, G. Brod, Gabby, Alli, Katja, Devan: A great senior season
Jack: Rides, sisterly love and lots of luck for the next two years.
S. Rhode: condoms
G. Brod: Rockstar, a senior boyfriend and lots of love.
The team: good luck and a championship.
Lauren Banker: My Great Friends; Becca, Ellyn & Emily: I leave an open sun roof on a warm summer day.
Dube: a roasty toasty car
My friend Logan: a devilish grin down the hallway.
Bridgette Beagen:
Emily Healy: Vinny, Incharge of Moh Tribe man hunt
Emily Healy, Leah Janelle, Emma True, Al Ayers: Man Hunt Games, Movie Nights, Four Kings, Big Bertha, Green Tea Cough drops, a Person in MOH Tribe and Travis Brody
French Trip 2009: Papillions, Bon Soir Game, Infinite number of Glow Sticks
Tommy Duval: 101 Jokes
The Ayer Twins: SClub Dance Parties, Travis Brody
Marina Slavin: Pet squirrel
Kai Beaton: Alex: my car
L-Bug: ½ my steeze
Parker: the whole world
Chandler/Matt: getting some Dolken…
Catlin: ski anthem and good times
Scotty: After Bang/ Debates
Graham: Lo
Tauriello: Takin' it to the dome
Andrew Sullivan: Task force 2001, find it
Gabby B: Derrel, Toasts that are friendly, Oodles of Noodles, everything orange, and lots of snow.
Lauren Belaidi: Ryan R: durham point Rd
Eryn, Ciera: my sister
Kellee, Leesy, Daniela, Sonia: Senior year & sick concerts
EMike Crotty: my phone #
Mrs. Healy: my love, a babysitter, and a trip to San Diego
Andrea: STHITHTERTHS!! The secret window, and everything else.
STravis Blumenthal: Marissa: Orange Mango Sorbet
Eric: Token Snowboarder
Allen: My good taste in TV shows
Danny: My shaman, j.k., Scrub.
Scort: The lebaro jersey.
Ellen: My Tuesday "goods"
Nick Brown: Tall-Tees
Big Al: The Shuman
Xander: Love
Gabby: Go Fish
Bridget Burns
Hannah Allen: The k face and yoda
Ashley Benuck: the team, and classy crew
Jenny Mac: a 16 year old boy
Brandi: a keg
Indoor: a championship
Emma True: Some toast, two ibuprofen, the spot and SU
Roy Hutton: Ann Coulter and a big "Hi Roy!"
Kaylen: Three more years (you can do it!)
Marisa Kang: Pelkwees!
Zottoli: a big thank you
Monsieur: a new favorite
Daisy Chinburg:
Dubes: perverted jokes + country songs
Emma True: FH legacy + fiyahs!
e.rodge: Stepbrothers, ballin', give yourself a ride
Jackjack: a parking spot, give yourself a ride Bucky + Emma: The woes of physics m. kang: PELKWEES!
Alex Jones: grilled zucchini
Mega: mark Jmac: "the box"
Cah-Caw: My number… Marie Collins: Jack: 2 more years, the Saab, Ratty & Applebee's G.Brod: Pandas! Board games & Echo Rock
Hannah Allen: Track & yoda G.Chez, Kyleekins, Alli: ORXC
Chandler and Webber: The girls team
Roehrig: Tall/Awkward spot on the team & your father
Bucky and Dolken: Mittens
Caitlin Olson: Dolken
Tommy: lifegaurding mmmkay
Leah and D.T: Highjump Parker: $2
Eric Fisher and Robbie Greenleaf: My brother
Aillinn Connors:
Kaylen: Mrs. Kish's room… take more advantage of it than I did!!
Marina: My orange running gear for hunting season in the country
Margot: All the UFO's in NH
Prerana, Harry, Julie, Erin, Emily and Alexa: Lit in all it's shining glory
Emma: Watercolors & the cover of Lit
Daniel Day:
Hannah Allen: Mouth of the River
Parker Eastman: Miles Goldburg
Graham Wakefield: A new hard drive
Jack Starbranch: The bathroom
David Isenberg: A razor
Margot Martain: "The Box"
Chandler Hull: The neighborhood
My Parking Spot: Josh Park
David Jasinski: a higher ceiling
Peter Attisano: Ovulation
Everyone: Good luck!
Lia Daniels:
Melissa Haliwell: All the red headed boys, and my signs in plastic bags, and all the Stackhouse runners.("tell me a joke funny man")
Emily Behrendt: All the kitties and the "guide to getting!!!" And all the fresh tomato mozzarella sandwiches
Rachel Ameduri: Great race times, raining Derryfield Races, sunnydays , all my luck
Margot Popeki: Edward Cullen
Maina Slavin: All my orange t-shirts
Rebecca Raeder: All my afternoon snacks from Adv. World Cultures.
Zach Derr:
David Taylor: The school board (good luck!)
Ethan Hotchkiss: All my awful jokes
Graham Wakefield: My brain
Alex Meissner: All my vital organs (except my brain)
Nick Brown: My reputation (for good or ill)
Ellyn Legard: My sincerest apologies for not spelling your name with a "y" in the yearbook (I tried!)
Donovan Kelly: My compliments for your great poetry
Ben Doller:
Michelle: My love : )
Alex M.: A Ford Focus
Mr. Mroz: 2 slices and a coke
B Rodgers: Bad Movies
Frid: a piece of my heart
Gabby: Moby Jake: Loud noises
Gabriel Dorfsman-Hopkins: Chandler Hull: #1 JV
Marcela Tyna Dorfsman-Hopkins: Longest Name
Kevin Fu + Ben Zhang: Cold War Senate: My best wishes
Umanud…: Ornette Coleman
Webber and Chandler: 4 cigars for cross-country camp
Hot Shot: Wiffleball swing
Rachel Downs:
Julie, Erin, Harry, Emily B, Olivia, Madeleine, Alexe, Gordon, Emma, Anna, Prerana, and Katja: the future of literacy.
Wally: Narnia, Dan Webber: an airplane
Mr. Hawley and Mrs. Engstrom: the next part of this generation.
Thomas Forbes: Didi: the boombox
Dan Tauriello: Jamin'
P-raj: tennis laughs
Marisa: good music at coffeehouses
Walnicki: Steez
Zach Lewis: a really tall hat
KC: being outrageous
Natty: Ehj?
Cooper: The locks
Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.
A-Curt: Shasta
The Lurk: Pirgnod
Alex Freid:
Emily, Becca, and Ellyn: a better future
Daniela, Kellee, and Sonia: a milk dispenser
Logan: swine flu
Tess and David Taylor: a really dumb US History Class Will: D-beat
DI: a comb
The Varsity Basketball team: 475 plastic bottles
Zoey Frolking:
Alli: Op Dels, Sops, Leisure pants, and pizza nights
Kylee: the cookie dough ice cream recipe
Marina: my purple bagel run shirt
Bri and Tribs: my underwater breathing skills
Laura Gallant:
Devan Roehrig: New York City & pants
Ivy Moody: Girls that taste like strawberries
Rory M-A: Devan Roehrig and my mom's garden
Lorraine Hu: Knock knock jokes of the finest quality
Alexe Taylor: Years of sarcastic bonding insults
David Taylor: Bus 26
Amaryth Gass: Marisa: thriller dance, vrksasana
Emily Rodgers: my hair, a birth certificate, a hug
Andrew: the art department
Iesha: a keg
Emily Behrendt: nothin'
Adele: up-coming seasons of American Idol
Haley: some almonds and gouda cheese
Ellyn: a bra
Megan: my soccer skills
Emily Beliveau: Nautica Man
Emma Smith: Dianne Chant
Carol: a toga
Bekah Schuman: crotch ice
Paul Grant:
The Nicklett: Key to the city
LBC: B.R. Corner
Cookie Wreaking: Disturbing Cartoon head
J Foley: Havoc
Anyone whose up to it: Causing trouble
Jake Gross:
Thoughtless and Tauriello: speech lessons
Natty: wicked dword rides and a pack
Leahy: Nicknames
Donny: Obesity
Goddard: shoes
T-Mac: new sneakahead
Graham's sister friends: a ride home
Danny + Wasserman: each other Randall: new position and beef
Delaney Guerino: Joe: you know…
Gen && Ash: my closet :)
Eliiise: My ackward voice & meatballs
Brenna: kettle corn & cuddling Reed: Kinley
Sophie: SO FRESHNESS.
Bucky: my hatred& your pig intestines back Kelly: the title of Delkell.
John Camp: my brother Tennis team: pink socks & altoids Jake B: time management skills.
Sam L.: Judi
Gabby Guerra: Tennis team: pink socks and altoids
Brenna Cahill: My cat
Carol Messler: Root Beer
Izzy Gorham: dandelion
Kellee Jackson and Sonia Ginsburg: Shrinky drinks
Bryce Harding:
Rory and Devan: my words.
Marisa: my good times.
Emily: SMSW.
Cody: the ski team…?
Emmy: silent football.
Drama Club: my good looks.
Ellyn: a song to sing.
Sophie: my awkward stares.
Jack: hugs.
Freshman: you made it through, my best wishes.
Bridget Grace Hart
Ryder: I'll always love you schnookums.
Rickyo: WWBD
Tommy Duval: you're my best friend
Joe Lane: I LOVE YOU
Brendan Mulhern: Can't wait for summer I miss Dillion. Isaiah: Cheerios do smell like babies
Jack G.: Possy Cat
Kara Henn: David Taylor: Mass Media Nick: Happiness
Conner Kolter: All the chocolate you can eat Harry Slepian, Katherine Meredith, Emmy Poehlman: Great sophomore years.
Eliza Hill:
Katherine & Emmy: candy, carrides, creeping Grant: 18goingonblack, West Epping Village Market, driving everyone, your sweatshirt
Kyle: the jewelry exchange in sudbury Mary: ORP legacy, the barn, the email list Maia: Laforce Matty: the future of the trombonies Aaron: WAAF!
Emily Hobson: Dube: Panera/BNG & my personality Leesy/Kelleel/Danni: a new way to get the goods and the name Bobson Ryan/Jamie: a threesome and Ms. Y Greg Godfrey: My love and a date to the movies Becca/Emma: Mark and the FH team.
Lisa Hoff: Andy Armstrong: the responsibility to keep the hellmouth closed. Conner Kolter: LCDC
Nick Lanthrop: Ace + Jonesy the demon kitty
Nate Hoff:
Joseph Fletcher: Lethal Descent, Oyster River skiing legacy
Nick Brown: Gretchen, Oyster River skiing legacy
Kevin Quinn: Free heel
Cody Jacobsen: Droppin' the knee
Joe Lane: Everything else
Emily Howard: Tennis Team: Altoids & Pink socks Sophie: The nick name "So Fresh" Alex Curtis: Sprucewoods Brandy & Derek: Future Art Classes
Ricky Hoyt: Chandler: everyone's car problems, my sister Alli, everything Jeep relates and my dad's shop
Matt Webber: The ORXC freshmen guys Alli Hobbs: Chandler
Jack & Gubby: My school records and a school of liberal people to argue with Pat Blake: A school full of people that you can be angry at Phoebe James: Hallie: My colored pencils
Carol: Hank the tank Jack: The love of an older sister Rhys: My soccer skills Kyle: My bathroom Melisa G.: Soup for Lunch Molly & Megan: score book
Martha Kobus: Devan: My amazing ability to park Ivy: You wanna be just like me!!! Marisa & Elissa: Save Darfur
Emma T: Coolness eh?
David T: My height… Rob Lane: Joe Lane: All of my love/ghetto starship Matt Webber: Getting some Roy: A cucumber Parker: Hair
Emily: Sack of Potatoes
Photo courtesy of http:// www.ursuline.edu/ students/graduation/
Karissa Layden: Andrea B: My North Face Kelle: morning surfing, NB<3 Leesy: cookies, DVD, bruises, dog in your backyard Rhys: rides to school, a longboard Tmac: a $40 Lupe ticket
Jaime C: jailbait
Soccer Team: my knee brace + love McGregor: everything, a mirror, and all my love
Irene Lemire:
Officer Leveque: More Jolly Ranchers
Victoria Hanson: Another friendship bracelet from Florida AJ Reynalds: a good mic
Canada’s national sport is Lacrosse, not hockey.
Rebecca Dowahns: My I-pod
Alex Walnicki: a better job :)
Mallory Amnet: our "math notebook"
Emily Dube: Rollinsford memories
Blummy: D period trips we should have had…
Emily Long: Kyle Cooke: My love a.k.a. Boots
Melissa: Pandora Charms
Alex Curtis: Spruce Pereck S: My middle finger (Buck) Alex Buck: fun times hating Jan M.
Jewelle Matheny:
Elissa: Dad's car, all the clothing I don't bring to college.
Molly & Rachel: girls ice hockey cheerleading team and self-motivated practices
Emily Belivou: Elissa and my bed
Helen S.: all the math classes I didn't take
Michelle + Alexe: Diana and the sailing team
Tucker MacIsaac:
G-Brod: ski trip, cheap wood, echo rock
Parker, Joe, Alex: The clock and more state championships
Parker: a candle, Lane 5, and a sick heist
Duvals: Bill, ok so, another state championship, the team
Marissa Kang: Pelkwees and a sick senior year
Luna: Gift card to I-Hop
Jack Garnheart: Brownies, Applebees
Kelsey: Two more years of HS
Mrs. B: A new Mug.
Fred Meissner:
Alex: The JEEP
L-Bug: 1/2 of my steeze
Sven: svending machine
Nick Brown: afterbang
Fletcher: all-knowing ball
Sam Modigliani:
Kyle: Captain Saucy & the Bojiggler (authors note: the Bojiggler is also referred to as Mr. Bojangles)
MFC: the abuse I have inflicted on you
Conner K.: Alex, Cassidy and the rest of my family… good luck
Helena: my awesome tan!
Michael Noronha:
JC: straight pride and 9 lives.
Webs: a cattle prod and combat boots. Don't let Chandler win practice.
Stairway: Keep pimpin'. Parker: …nothing.
Gub Gub: 30 lbs, SRS, the minivan, and a fat stoner girlfriend
Jon Owens: Michael Owens: Your own high school experience. Live it up. Kylee Drugan-Eppich: My love, time with my family, Ryder Friend, and Corny Jokes.
EEthan Hotchkiss:Taking care of Mike, the relay with Larkin. Hip-Hop: The best nickname ever, and the relays (400 included) my apprenticeship.
SXander, Scort, Wasserman, Jack: Volleyball, and Scort telling Masenic Danglers story.
Alex Johnson/Hip-Hop: Beff cake
Mrs. Raiford: my thanks
Tim: A good next 3 years
Julie Peters:
Emily Behrendt: judging everyone who walks by and being awesome. Devan Roehrig: holding hands, bollywood dancing (lotus), a happy senior year (try to like it)!
Ivy: The Everyone Hates Ivy Club (it doesn't really exist…that's the secret)
Naomi Schmidt: a new best friend!
Harry Slepian: brightly colored pants and yes, the Slepian legacy.
Rory: inappropriate jokes. All of them.
Gordon: brutal music and body piercings.
Susanna Rainey:
Buckwild: Dolken's girl problems, and two dozen donuts
Dolken: a sense of humor… and a wad of cash
L-Bug: Shua.
Luna: My boyfriend... and a hookah
Sam Long: 'wings your way' and ominous sounds
Jack: dopeness
Hot Donna: Mr. Paradis
Luke Sahagian:
Parker Eastman: A hug
My Sister: not a hug
The CC Freshmen/Sophomores: The Abyss
Alex Meissner: The Whale, The Van, and the Honda
Dahlia Sawtelle:
Amelia: My brother next year
Mamoon: nothing. Bwahahahah.
Maggie& Hannah: Long days with Amanda.
Mrs. B: Lawrence, keep him under control Molly: Purple polka dotted dinosaurs & cucumbers Mrs. Wotton: all the candy we stole from you Bethany Sharbough: Megan: #24, souvenier pennies, Shipping Up To Boston, Love mixes Hallie: Air mattress, TROYYY, BEST SCHOOL YEAR EVER!
Danielle: ROSA DRUMMOND!, my time telling skills
Carol: Gushers (yes they DO still make them) Basketball Team: another championship. Ellen-Claire Slepian: Jack Lewis Maia Griswold and Devan Roehrig: Swim Team 09-10 and Bill!
Emmy True: Lane 2 Swim Team '09-10: The Make-Out Corner. The bet's still going!
Harry Slepian: The Slepian Legacy-don't be insulted if they mix up your name! David Taylor: Making it to champs…or completing 1 dive
Rory M-A: LOVE…and hand holding
Tommy Duval: Cathy Kassler and the outdoor pool
Tahlia Auger: An awesome sophomore year. Connor D'Amours and Margot Popecki: Never Forget Team Black Doom.
Tyler Smith: The Biggest Bahls in the School: The legend of the "T-Rex" Max Snelling (the most important man in the grade): Molly Snelling: My share of the dead unicorns, and the Snelling family name. Danny Duval: All the awkwardness in my soul… (It's a lot to handle, but you'll manage)
Krumpe: My dance skills… you don't want these but you're going to have them anyways.
Kyle Milner: Absolutely nothing…
Mrs. Caple: A lonely lunch time next year, and a large "thank you" for all the good memories.
Xander the Commander: The middle hitter position. You're a big guy, you can't avoid your destiny any longer.
Analise Stettner: Marisa & Tessalou: Wiswall, Summer Nights, Rocky Horror, Candy @ 24, Hollywood, BNG, you know the rest. Sorry For My Terrible Lime Chip Etiquette... I Love You More Than The Seafarers Love The Stars :) Dube: I'm Passing The Torch Of "That Drama Girl "to You, my Dear… ILUHYOO!!
Kyle: theatre. 'nuff Said. Paul: you Get To Wash The Dishes Alone Now, Have Fun In High School!!
Rachel Taylor: Harry: Mike Pisco Devan and Maia: swim team Emma: Lane 2
Talia, Sierra, Madeleine and Poorinma: The make out corner Marcela: The Rachel Room
Gabby: Grandpa Tree
David: Dance Parties, bruised kidneys, and a perfect Reverse.
Sarah Trombley: Lacrosse: A state championship ORFH: Mark
Al Ayers, Kelley Kirby, Dube: a big sister forever E. Smith: A drama free senior year Iesha: Boys B. Schmuan: line fire & "gingerness" Bucky: Thai food& "chocolate" D'Olken: A broken hundle T. Short: my smart-___ attitude
Eryn True: Emma: Raoul, Lynn, and chocolate
Erin T: daycare services
Jack Jack: a packed car of swimmers Rodgers: PE for life
Molly + Emma: the new "Partners in Crime" + sneaky escapes Bill (Reaves): a cheerful season without me Lean: 5 stars
Joe Lane + Alex Jones: okay so… + many prom dates
The Twins: CM2
Anika Vittand:s
Mallory: One freshly backed Mallory-nut muffin wrapped in Cynthia material Chelsea: Fun times in F period and sunscreen so you won't have lobsters legs again
Katie Vaughn: All the "hotties" at festival.
Oilvia: Permission to skip bio and my title as "honorary office runner
Krumples: A picture of Anne Frank to remind you of your past…
Stephen Wilson:
Georgia Borner: Marvelous Misadventures
Matt Webber: 4 x 800m
Ryan Brady: Cross Country
Jack Collopy: Alverine's Gnome
Chandler Hull: Oyster River Girls
Gubby Noronha: Oyster River Spirit
Peter Attisano: "Welcome Home"
Marcela DH: Super Smash Brothers
Unknown Senior: Swanson: My captain's hat. May it serve you well
Summer is nearly here which means that summer movies are just around the corner. Here is a list of a few movies that are being highly anticipated and are already in theaters or are this summer. Prepare for a summer full of blockbusters and those you may not have heard of yet but will still entertain and make you laugh.
UP - May 29th
The Hangover - June 5th
Land of the Lost - June 5th Year One - June 19th
Transformers 2: The Revenge of the Fallen - June 24th
Public Enemies - July 1st Bruno - July 10th
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - July 15th
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - August 7th
All movie photos courtesy of google images
At the height of its power in 400 BC, Sparta had 50,000 slaves and 20,000 citizens.
Picture a typical Monday morning at Oyster River: Hell’s bells have just rung and students are rushing to their B period class. The majority of students head off to the tower, core or towards the gym, but a few students make their way down to the far end of the school to the special education rooms, where they will receive extra help on schoolwork for however many class periods away from their peers as necessary based on their level of need.
A while back, photojournalist Dan Habib came to our school to show the film that he created called Including Samuel, a documentary about both academic and peer inclusion through the eyes of his family and his son Samuel.
Here at the high school we too have our own special education department near the senior parking lot and the library. A question begs to be answered: How is our high school doing when it comes to including our special education students within all areas of student life?
The answer is mixed.
Assistant principal and former special education teacher Mark McCann has an overall positive opinion about OR's special education system.
"We do a good job educating our special education students." When it comes to peers including students McCann believes that "most students are great," but from what he has seen at Oyster River, McCann does believe that peer inclusion "could be better."
Senior Peter Constantino agrees.
"What I have seen is a good job of teaching special-ed students [in classrooms], but [non special-ed] students often don't accept special-ed students for who they are."
Bev Cole, a senior at ORHS, has an eight year old brother named Simon who was born with Down Syndrome. Simon Cole is home schooled, and will not likely come to Oyster River in the future, but that does not make Bev Cole any less aware of the way that special education students are treated at the high school.
On the topic of inclusion, Cole has strong opinions, and when prompted with the question of whether or not Simon would be included at Oyster River, her reaction is negative, but understanding. "I feel like he wouldn't be included. It is natural for us to be a little intimidated rather than be open and friendly."
Oyster River’s Special Education Department as of 2009: In the future Principal Laura Rogers is considering moving special education classrooms so that they are throughout the building.
Cole wants students to put the word awareness into action when they come in contact with peers with special needs, particularly ones that have needs which may be more signifigant.
There could be more effort on behalf of the students to acknowledge them [special education students] because so often it is just teachers.
-Bev Cole, OR StudentORHS does a good job of physically including special education students in homogeneous classes, but we could improve with academically including students with identified learning needs.
-Anonymous teacher, Special Education Dept.
"I'm not trying to diss students by saying that they are not inclusive enough, but they [special-ed students] probably would appreciate it if you paid more attention to them! I feel like we aren't really thinking of it enough."
Special Education Director Amanda Therrien wants to raise awareness about special education at Oyster River. Including Samuel is a step in the right direction, but continuing efforts need to be made.Therrien realizes that peers including special educations students takes much more than just seeing one film…it takes time and effort.
"I think there are a lot of challenges for students with significant disabilities." Therrien says that she would like to see "more involvement with Mr. Lord's students. Those are the areas that we could improve so that students have a strong peer group. Our PE teachers are fantastic about that."
Therrien also cites the art room as a positive place for special education students with more signifigant disabilities as a great place to get to know their non-special needs peers.
Principal Laura Rogers believes that Oyster River is doing a first rate job at educating special needs students.
"I think we are a lot more successful as a district [with students] who are included in the mainstream." When it comes to inclusion, Rogers has a suggestion for improvement that would help special needs students feel more a part of the rest of the student body.
"One of the things that I would hope for in the future is moving special educators throughout the building."
“I think the movie had a big positive impact on the school,” said special education teacher Amy Therrien. “It made it [inclusion] everybody's responsibility.”
Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.
What students and teachers say about where improvements can be made to include Special Education Students:
"You're such a retard!" said "Bob," while looking at his friend's test grade. "How could you fail such an easy test?"
What did "Bob" just call his friend? A retard. That word is heard throughout the halls of Oyster River High School on a regular basis. It's used so much these days that students don't think much when they use it.
"I think people use the word in a negative way without really understanding the meaning of what they are saying to someone," said Amy Therrien, the special education coordinator at Oyster River High School.
"I don't use the word retard often," said Sarah Trombley, a senior at Oyster River. "I'm not offended by it. I think people don't use it as an offensive word. It's just kind of slang. People don't use it with the intent to be malicious."
Meredith Nadeau, director of special education for the district, agreed that people don't necessarily mean to be insulting. "My first thought is that the person probably doesn't know the impact of what she or he is saying." Nadeau recalled her middle school days when a group of high school students harassed a student with the word "retard" on the bus. "I remember the bus driver being very protective and particularly remember a high school senior telling the group of students to 'grow up'." Leigh Rhode, from the Institute of Disabilities at UNH said, " 'retard' is an offensive word to me. Mostly because it is used as an insult to people with mental retardation and yet it is a word that is 'assigned' to people with developmental and/ or cognitive disabilities."
However, according to Therrien, the word mentally retarded is a diagnostic term used by psychiatrists, doctors, and other diagnosticians which describes that a person's cognitive ability falls below a certain range.
Rhode stated she has a 19 year old son with Down syndrome, and is forced to use the words "mentally retarded" on school forms to get him the services he needs. "I use the term 'developmental disability' or 'cognitive disability' instead, if at all possible. However, on most school health forms, I don't have that option," she said.
Nadeau believes people use the word due to ignorance. "Because our society, in general, still finds it acceptable to make fun of people who are different from them," she said.
So be careful when you use that word. Therrien said, "You never know who you are speaking with, if the word 'retarded' is used freely when speaking with someone who may have a relative who is actually mentally retarded, that could be very offensive."
Brian Kim: Would you rather teach a man to fish or hunt?
Max: That depends on where he lives. If he is trapped in the middle of the ocean on a boat, then I am guessing the deer and wild boar populations will probably be lacking, so I would definitely teach the man to fish, but if the man were stuck in the middle of Sherwood Forest, with the ocean quite a large distance away, hunting maybe the better option. On top of that, have you ever tried to learn how to fish? Its pretty simple, you flip the bail and cast the line, where as hunting takes safety courses, gun training, special attire so that the animal doesn't see you, etc… To save on time I think I would rather teach the man to fish.
Thomas Forbes: How do you feel?
Max: I feel good…(Dunna nuna nuna nuh)… like I knew that I should now… so good… so good… Now I don't feel so good…
Sonia Ginsburg: Why does everything you say that's awkward come off as twice as awkward?
As I was walking my dog on a lovely Sunday afternoon, I began to feel a bit woozy. I figured it was nothing, so I just kept on trudging. But my aching head and the fever that encompassed me just wouldn't leave. I found myself with a sky high temperature and six out of the seven symptoms of Swine flu. I was taken to the doctor, where the nurses threw a face mask on me. Once examined, panic struck fear in the eyes of those around me. I might just have the H1N1 flu.
After a rather uncomfortable nose test, the doctor sent me home with instructions to stay confined to my house. I was at first rather delighted to be in quarantine- no school, no annoyances. But the reality that I was confined to my residence, without interaction amongst my peers very quickly lost its charm. Mr. Pedersen, a paraprofessional at ORHS has also shared this experience. "I came home from Mexico, and I didn't have Swine Flu. However, I had to stay at my house and miss a week of school in case I did so that I didn't infect anyone else."
As of May 20th (this will be updated around publication time), don't forget!!! 13 New England public schools have been shut down due to confirmed Swine Flu cases. These range from Boston Latin School, the biggest public school in Boston with a student population of 2,500 to the Kennebunk School district which has a student population comparable to ORCSD. Three people in the United States have died of swine flu and approximately 200 more have been hospitalized.
"I went to Philadel-
Max: … I can't say…
Mrs. Healy: Is Follies going to happen?
Max: Life is follies, so it is always happening… And by the time this issue comes out we should have an answer, so I'm going to leave the answer to this question to Future Max.
Future Max: Quick, Past Max! Stock up on canned food and head for the hills. In twenty days the next worldwide pandemic will result from llama flu and thousands will die… On the topic of Follies, yes it will happen, and it will (was) lovely
Bridget Hart: How old are you?
Max: As old as the mountains, as old as the hills, as old as the ocean and its frothy swells… I am older than some, and younger than most, and I'm speaking in rhyme… at… the Friendly Toast…? (That is the only rhyme I could think of…)
phia to look at one of the schools I was accepted too over April vacation. I came home really sick on the plane but I mostly thought it was just air sickness. But then I went to school on Monday with a fever, aches and pains and vomiting. My grandmother had gone to Web MD.com and was convinced I had the Swine Flu. I left school and got tested, but luckily I tested negative" says Eryn True an ORHS senior. "I have never been so sick, and I can't even imagine what the real swine flu would be like."
Faye Allison, who is also a senior at ORHS, had a swine flu scare after returning from an April Vacation trip to New York City. "I got really paranoid when I came home from NYC and I was running a fever. I then started to get woozy and headachy. I left school for a couple days and rested up. My parents took me to the doctor but my symptoms weren't severe enough to be tested."
Oyster River High School Nurse Danuta Richards reminds students that the easiest way to prevent catching the Swine Flu is to wash your hands. "Hand washing and using hand sanitizer frequently is key to fighting infection." Richards also reminds students not to worry too much about Swine Flu. "Most of the time kids just have another strain to the flu. But if you are sick, please remember to stay home!"
SBob Heuchling: My first subbing assignment was gym class, and I took them to the tennis courts, and every time I turned around I saw a tennis ball being launched into Route 4. The class consisted of Eyad and Paul Grant, as well as many of the other usual suspects of the grade... I had no idea what I was in for.
Pam Raiford: When Tess talked about the ethics of stripping in class.
Stephen Lord: Sarah, Jess, Aillinn, Jean FI, Nate, Brian, Bridget H, and Bridgette B, I remember all the work we didn't get done in French 5 and your inability to do imaginez online! Once the French 5 class hid from Tess so when she came to class no one was there!! Jean Fi and Nate hid under Mr. Lord's desk so he will think they are absent.
Heather Healy: Gossiping with Lauren, Jill, Emily, and Jake.
Kathleen Kentner
1. The enthusiam and excitement of seniors who had been campaign volunteers at an election night party at Christopher's in Dover.
2. The talented seniors who presented themselves and their sense of fun during the talent show.
On a Canadian $2, the flag over the Parliament building is the US flag.
I did horrible on my SAT's. So horribly, that when people ask me, I change the subject or feel like I was about to slit my throat. But luckily, I got into college- actually my first choice college. The case is not the same for many other graduating seniors. This score they earn on the SAT's is meant to classify how well a person has obtained information through their high school academic career. This can be the difference between a top-choice and last choice school. The reasons why these tests were created in the 1940s' was used to identify intellectual talent, regardless of any other constraints that would prevent someone from otherwise being able to go to college. These included race, money, and geography. Students from very rural or poor backgrounds were given this test as a chance to express their natural intelligence. But that was over 60 years ago. And now we have other ways that these silent prodigies can be highlighted. There are more options for students who want to peruse post-high school academic paths. The SAT tests are no longer used for this purpose. It now is one of the core parts of any average college's application process. Many times this number holds as much strength as a student's transcript. So that means an assessment of grades you've worked on for the past four years is just as important as a four hour test.
There is also no possibility that multiple choice questions and monotonous essays are a good assessment that will fit all students learning styles. How many times have educational organizations have talked about creating an academic environment that fit everyone? Psychologists and Scientist know that people use different parts of their brains to recall and express information, and therefore, the SAT test will favor some students over others, simply because of the way they learn. John Katzman is the founder of Princeton Review, a company that specifically focuses on preparing students for the SAT's. In a recent interview done by Frontline, he expresses strong dislike for the tests. The example question he gives to illustrate this is, "There are three roads from Plattsville to Ocean Heights. And 4 roads from Ocean Heights to Bay Cove. If Martina drives from Plattsville to Bay Cove and back, passes through Ocean Heights in both directions and does travel any road twice, how many different routes for the trip are possible? 72, 36, 24, 18 and 12?"
I'm going to start this article with some whining. Over the past 3 years, I have taken 2 PSAT's, 2 SAT's, 3 SAT Subject Tests, the NECAP's, and 4 AP exams. If you are at all like me, you probably hated every minute of every test you have taken, and paid enough money to collegeboard.com to get yourself a struggling car. Having hopefully demonstrated my painfully earned validity on this subject, I now make my thesis. Standardized test results do not lie.
Everything about your transcript and resume is subjective. A grade in a class, while helpful at gauging a vague level of competence, is ultimately up to the subjectivity of the teacher. To be fair, this is less true for courses such as math and science, but even there a little subjectivity exists and cheating is almost part of the curriculum. Everyone has at some time has earned A's that were B's, and deserved B's that were A's. And then there are just those teachers who don't believe in giving A's, biases, and my personal favorite, 'class contribution'.
The difficulty of a course varies from school to school and so do the GPA and grade scales. The combination of it all is enough to make your head spin, and I'm sure the three different scales on ORHS senior transcripts this year were a headache for college admission officers.
Then there are extracurricular activities. There are the do-nothing team captains, the worthless class officers, as well as the workaholic NHS kid and the unrecognized kids who take more leadership than anyone else. Again, it is mostly subjective.
Is this necessary?
Finally, in any application you will make, there are essays. Does anyone remember that little girl who made up an essay about her dad dying in Iraq so she could get Hannah Montana concert tickets? Well that's what college essays are-elegant lies. The appropriate term is inappropriate to write in this paper. They are just the politically correct product of a revision process by your parents and teachers, which far too often bears only a vague resemblance of your own thinking.
Katzman then goes on to say, "(by answering this question) what is this telling you about your child….is it telling you he's stupid that he got it wrong? Is it telling you he shouldn't go to college or he should? What is it telling you? And I would claim it tells you almost nothing. This is a great question for Games Magazine but a lousy question for Harvard."
The fact that there are hundreds of Practice Tests available to learn information covered in the SAT's, shows that the test does not measure material, but instead one's ability to score high on multiple choice questions. How does this skill prove to colleges a student's intelligence? These tests have become discriminatory towards students who are from lower income households. Those students that are affluent enough to take a SAT prep-course, statistically score higher. Wealthier students are buying their scores and having unfair advantage above others. Student's families are already burdened with affording college, but if they are pressured to spend $1440 on 15 hours of private lessons, the costs begin to become overwhelming (costs based on www.princtonreview.com).
State Boards of Education have also decided to teach children it is already to cheat, if money is involved. With higher scores, come larger scholarships, and therefore more money. Students are willing to take great risks in order to afford and attend more expensive colleges.
Overall the SAT's and ACT's are outdated and are discriminatory towards specific groups of people. With the knowledge we now know pertaining to learning styles, there is a more accurate and correct way to assess student's intelligence. There should be more to a student's intellect than a score from a 5 hour test.
Having visited the other aspects of your resume, I return to the subject of this column, which if you will recall is test scores. Test scores are perfect. They are exactly the same for everyone. There is no subjectivity, no being a teacher's pet, no lies (except on the SAT essay which many schools ignore), and for the most part no cheating.
Now to be fair, many general testing systems put students with non-academic strengths at a disadvantage. But to complain against this is completely nonsensical, because they are not meant to measure how well you can use a pottery wheel, make a collage, or play the saxophone. They are meant to measure academic competency on a fundamental level, which really comes down to reading, writing, math, and science. These encompass the most universally valued skills you will get from your education, and demand logical thinking and expression. That is why the generic SAT is advertised as the 'SAT Reasoning Test'. If logical thinking isn't for you, then most colleges probably aren't either.
I say most colleges, because there are some which simply don't require the SAT's, namely those that focus on specific vocational or artistic skills. (Honestly, these schools are underutilized. Why pay 40k a year to take gen eds? That's what high school was for.) And if you are neither an artsie, nor endowed with the capacity for getting 800's and 36's, fear not. There are only 8 Ivy League schools, and therefore thousands of other institutions of higher learning which accept Caucasians and mere mortals.
"New York, New York. It's a helluva town!" said the catchy song sung by Gene Kelly, Jules Munchin, and Frank Sinatra in the 1949 MGM musical cinematic classic, On the Town.
This song is just one example of the many songs written about the vast and ever-changing wonder of a place called New York City. On May 1, the Art History and Advanced Writing classes at ORHS experienced the splendor of what many think is the greatest city in the world.
Art Teacher Maria Rosi initially organized the trip for her Art History class. English Teacher Martin Brewer then approached her about bringing along his small Advanced Writing class. This is the second year that Rosi has planned a trip to NYC for her Art History class.
Before the trip Rosi expressed her expectations for the trip. "I want everyone to have an amazing time. I've had disastrous field trips in the past. I'm responsible for the safety of the students… I chose a good group to put that responsibility on. The students are very invested in the trip because of the effort they've put into fundraising and planning," she said.
The students left on Friday, May 1 and returned Sunday night, May 3. The itinerary included visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), attending the Broadway play "Rock of Ages," shopping, and spending time in Central Park despite the rain that plagued two of the three days of their trip.
POThe trip was meant to serve very different purposes for the students of the two classes. Senior Ella Nimmo, a student in Brewer's Advanced Writing class was very excited prior to the trip.
"I've never been to New York City before. This trip is to inspire [the writing students] in a different way because we're around different people in a different place. Durham's not like that," she said the week before her trip.
DERosi was excited about going to MoMA. "It's my most favorite museum in the world. I've only been twice and it's got a great permanent collection as well as the other exhibits. The artwork on this trip is some of the best in the world. We're not only going to see it but be in the environment where it was created."
ORHS Principal Laura Rogers believes that even though these trips are very laborious to plan, they have amazing benefits. "It's more about the person
aspect," she said. "It's a trip without parents and it's primarily focused of selfdiscovery. As much as I hate to say it, you're not going to remember what happened in math class this morning, but you'll remember this trip. You're building memories; it becomes a part of you in a way that the classroom doesn't on a daily basis."
Brewer has been to New York City many times. He mentioned the excitement of the city and that "Ms. Rosi did a great job planning this."
Brewer was also excited for "meeting people I don't know. The chaperones were me and the entire art department - I [shared] a room with [Art Teacher Tim] Lawrence."
Tracy Bilynsky, ORHS Art Teacher and NYC Chaperone believes the trip was a success. "From my perspective I had a wonderful time with everything we did. Saturday was a great day. We had good chaperones, good students, good weather and good art."
Levesque, a student in Rosi's Art History class, believes this was very beneficial for her in a different way. "I want to be an art major. There's cool stuff [at the art museums in New York]." This was Senior Sam Levesque's first time in the city as well. She said, "It was fun. I didn't get Swine Flu."
The city skyline view from the roof garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Andy Warhol’s “Mao” (1973) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
It's been quite the year. Chaotic, amazing, fun-filled. Teachers are ready to relax and students are ready to go out for their summer vacation. Then they'll all come back, ready to resume their habitual, and almost same ways. Well, almost. At the moment, 7 staff members from the High School are retiring this year.
Librarian Kathleen Kentner and teachers Dwight Phetteplace, Carol Szot, Laura Parsons, Alex Herlihy, and Ginny Tag will all be retiring this year. The retirees will be able to enjoy their free time and frolic about with their ability to do just about anything.
OBut something's different about retiring this year. The school board passed a decision for an Incentive Plan. The idea is to pay eligible teachers who have many years of teaching under their belt $20,000 to retire this year. Teachers from all schools in the district are eligible for such a plan under the right circumstances.
PSchool Board Chair, JoAnn Portalupi explains more about the incentives, "The Retirement Incentive Plan is being offered as a cost savings measure. Nearly 75% of the total school budget is devoted to paying salaries for personnel. The incentive is offered to teachers who are currently being paid at the MA +30 salary step 15 or above. These represent the highest steps on the salary schedule. When a teacher at this salary level retires and is replaced by a teacher at a lower salary level, there are cost savings to the district. In
these current economic times, any budget increase is difficult for community tax payers. The board is working proactively knowing there will be difficult choices ahead if we continue to look for minimal increases in next year's budget."
When I first took up this article, I was set and determined to put this idea down. I despised how our school board could even possibly think of persuading teachers to leave and then hiring random kids fresh out of college. I was ready to shoot down everyone who was up for it. That was all before I did some research. And my world was turned upside down.
Laura Rogers, ORHS Principal, explained her support for the idea. "[The Incentive Plan] has potential to save a great deal of money in the future. We can hire someone with less experience but still a great teacher for less."
Foreign language teacher Stephen Lord, agrees, "I think that financially it makes sense to offer money to those who have been here for a while. If you get someone with 5 to ten years of experience, you get new ideas and it won't necessarily be a step backwards."
Portalupi explains the impact a young teacher has, "Younger teachers bring energy and new ideas as well as experience they have gained from working in other districts. I believe it's a strength to have a range of new and veteran teachers."
Rogers wanted to emphasize the fact that the school will not be hiring teachers will little experience. "The new librarian that is replacing Kathleen Kentner, she has 14 years of experience. We are honestly looking for teachers with six to eight years of experience. We're not replacing our teachers with fresh out of college people. It won't be that radical of a change, but not top of the scale either."
Everyone has assured me that our school isn't going to fall into a bottomless pit and disappear from the face of the world. We'll still be Oyster River High School, the good and the bad, and everyone will know it. We'll just have different and new teachers coming in next year. Change isn't that bad, is it?
Rogers, although happy that the retirees will be doing what they want to do, was sad. "I'm sorry to lose them. Our building is filled with really dynamic teachers who don't let age slow them down. Our teachers have proven their ability to teach and have shown amazing results."
So, maybe some of you disagree. Maybe some of you love your teachers so much that you don't want to let them go. But it seems that the powerful didn't forget about us. We'll get the same great education. And we'll still have some of our older, wiser and amazing teachers left. They're not all deserting us at once! So let's wish the retirees a happily ever after.
As Martha and I leave you with our last issue of Mouth of the River, we hope you have enjoyed it this year. This year on the paper there has been sorrow, joy, drama, fighting, and David Mistretta. Before we go though, we figured we would leave the new generation of MOR with some serious advice, take it or leave it, but I suggest take it!
Future Mouth of the River Staff Advice:
1
.You get a long time to do your articles, like 2 weeks, get it done within the first two days and you have a free period!
2.Bring in snack as often as possible. 50 minutes goes by much quicker when you are scooping out donuts then when you are sitting in front of a computer staring at the screen thinking about the food you aren’t eating.
3.The first day of class, when you find your seat make sure its one with a computer. And if you get a computer check right away to make sure Adobe works. If it does not, kindly ask the nearest push-over to switch with you.
4.Try and figure out Adobe photo shop on your first day, other wise you're screwed and no one will help you when your trying to Gray scale your stupid picture of a fondu pot at the last minute because their all working on their own stuff so then you can’t use the picture of the fondu pot. So figure out photoshop and you are golden.
5.Do your required stuff as soon as possible. Because after the first two issues, you can feel the motivation to do a job shadow, and get your stuff published fading into the sunset.
6.Do something new! Write at least one article that you think will make people angry, bring up someone no ones heard off, or that will just be fun! Don't use old ideas, do new and creative things!
7.First day figure out how much money you have, and then fundraise continuously for the next school year because then you'll have enough money for your final issue!
8. Don’t procrastinate at all. This may seem repetative, but seriously, two weeks can go by like that and articles take a little longer to write then you would expect.
9. With your free time that will come from getting your stuff done on time and not procrastinating perfect your Tetris skills. You may think that you are a master at this game, or you may think that Tetris is, “So third grade”. But you are mistaken. Tetris can be an entertaining and educationalish way to spend your time.
10. Steal Yoda. At least once. So good luck, have fun, fundraise like it's your job and make a great paper!
Madame Smith taught at Oyster River High School for 37 years before having to leave last year after her Lymphoma cancer came out of remission. Most of us haven't seen Madame for over a year and since she will not be returning to teach I think it's important that we know how one of Oyster River's most loved teachers is doing.
Monsieur Lord and Senior Hausmann have both spoken to Madame recently and Monsieur said she sounded good. "When I talked to her she sounded great. She was talkative and happy. She was curious about school and what was up. She also sent me a note wishing me luck for the France trip!" Senior Hausmann said she was teasing him about the foreign language festival and sounded fine.
Though Madame hasn't been seen in a while, she is still in everyone's hearts and thoughts. "She was the nicest teacher ever," Jenny Jing remembers. "She made class enjoyable." Zach Derr agrees, "She made French class nice and fun, even for the people like me who were terrible at French!" The general consensus from all of Madame's students can be summed up by Brian Gitcher. "I miss her a lot. She was a really amazing teacher."
Unfortunately, I only had Madame for half a year before she left, but my experience with her was fun and enjoyable. I, like Zach, am without a doubt pretty horrendous at French. I don't like it, I don't get it, and am just really, really bad at it. But surprisingly enough, my experience with the foreign language department here at Oyster River has been really awesome. I had Monsieur for my first two years of French and then in my third year I got Madame.
I was a little nervous because this was going to be my first time with a new French teacher, but I had nothing to worry about. Madame was helpful and understanding about the fact that I just couldn't seem to learn French. She would stay after class and school with me to help me and because of her I did pretty well in French. She was without a doubt an asset to this school and she is missed
So Madame, we all hope you are doing well and Oyster River misses you!!!
There are about 2 credit cards for every person in the United States.
There's something special about the local café. Maybe it's the sound of alternative Belle and Sebastian or Fleet Floxes. Possibly it is the smell of freshly brewed cappuccinos and cranberry scones. Either way, local coffee shops hold character and certain attitude found nowhere else. But the Seacoast Area is slowly becoming overcome by the stereotypical Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. There are many hidden jewels from Durham to Portsmouth that offers fare-trade and some of the best hot drinks quality around. The vacancy of the unwanted rush and hectic of any chain coffee shop is a relief. Supporting these small shops not only provides one with more delicious services, but stronger and closer communities are built thought family-run businesses.
Adelle'sNestled back behind Dos Amigos in Dover, Adelle's Coffee Shop is a quaint, quite place to work on your laptop or read a book. Various times through any given month, local comedians and musicians perform. Their menu offers some of the best hot chocolate around, as well as the typical coffees and teas. UNH Graduate Student, Haley Wicklein, visits Adelle's frequently. "They have really yummy muffins and a great environment."
OBreaking New Grounds (BNG)With locations in Portsmouth, Durham, Portland, and Ogunquit, this family run business is very popular to either locals or tourists visiting the New England Area. Honored with numerous awards and recognitions for their coffee, BNG is very environmentally active and conscious about keeping their business. Specifically in the Durham location, the suggested special is almost always creative and delicious. University of New Hampshire undergrad student Michelle Stands loves BNG. "Their hazelnut (blend) is my favorite… I spend way too much money here." Ranging everything from seasonal Pumpkin Spice Coffee to the very famous special Coconut Hazelnut Latte, any Breaking New Grounds location is sure to please every time.
PCafé on the CornerOne of the most popular café's in Dover, this shop is almost always packed. They provide a strong and big selection of not only drinks, but also sandwiches for a filing lunch or early dinner. Similar to its serving size, Café of the Corner is in the hub of Dover, so it is almost always packed and it is difficult to find a seat in the cluster of small tables and assortment of couches. But be warned, prices tend to run expensive and this shop closes early so don't plan on hitting it up for a late night caffeine fix.
DECrackskullsCrackskulls located, in Newmarket NH, doubles with a used bookstore this shop is a great place to meet friends on a rainy day. More than half the store is filled with pre-owed books that are 100% purchased from customers that create a diverse and random selection. There is also a small CD and cassette tape section where many random artists are highlighted. You can busy yourself with enjoying a something from their wide array of baked goods including one of their delicious bagels, muffins, or cookies. Their ice cream is inexpensive and refreshing. When it comes to hot drinks, Senior Faye Allison says, "They're amazing- but I love their steamed milk." If you're still found with nothing to do, try challenging your buddies to one of the many board games, including Harry Potter Trivia Pursuit, found scattered around the café.
"You guys are closer to death now, than when you walked into class. Oh! You're even closer now!" -Mr. Whalen
"I will be refreshed when I die, that's all that really matters," -Matt Degrace
"Mr. Whalen you're responsible for global warming!" -Gabby Chesney "Are you saying I'm hot?" - Mr. Whalen
"Women have barbed wire for hair on their legs. Then when I go to shave my face, it just rips my skin on my face. I might as well use a piece of shard pottery."- Mr. Lawrence.
"We can try, but I can't move like that!"-Martha Kobus
"They're not meant for sniffing"- Kucera
"Either you strip or I'll make you strip!"-Brett Chamberlain
"Hey Greg, I'm gonna reach between your legs ok?" Mrs. Rogers
“You’re supposed to flinch when I throw scissors at you!”- Mr. Pappas
The ridges on the sides of coins are called milling.
As I approach the last, ending days of my High School career I have had a lot of time to think about the past four years, around 740 days and approximately 1,295 hours I have spent at Oyster River High School. Along with that I have thought about the 18 years, and approximately 157,680 hours spent in Durham New Hampshire. Though sometimes I have actively wanted to run far, far away from this little niche of New Hampshire, my time spent at the high school and in Durham has been strangely enjoyable. Durham is a strange little town and when I went college visiting I realized that when I venture to Canton, New York (aka Amish country) next year, I will be a strange duck. So here's a tribute to the random things about Durham/Oyster River that I will have to live without next year that I have thoroughly enjoyed in my 18 years spent in Durham.
1.Kurt's Lunchbox: Kurt's Lunchbox is the best late night snack food available on campus. Parked in C lot, the French fries are available with a variety of fabulous toppings such as barbecue chicken, and every cheese you can imagine. This rare delicacy is a hot spot in Durham every Thursday to Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 2 p.m.
2.UNH Outdoor Pool: Though the pool pond is not the cleanest swimming facility, it is a landmark in Durham. When we were younger it was the place to spend your long summer days just playing with friends, and standing in line for the ice cream truck on the burning hot pavement. Now for me and some other high school students it's a summer job. The pool serves a multitude of purposes for the residents of Durham, Lee and Madbury and is without a doubt the only pool like it out there.
3.$2 movies at the MUB: UNH benefits me in so many ways, but one thing I really enjoy is the movies at the MUB. $2 for students and $4 for residents. The MUB plays newly released movies in its two theatres. Because they never check students ID's if you look older then 15 you can usually get in for a student charge. AWESOME deal!
4.Pizza slices for 1.50 at DHOP after 11- I'm pretty sure that the cheap pizza slice is a staple on any college campus, but I enjoy the ability to abuse my residency in Durham for the cheap slices of pizza. Though you have to shove your way past 50 drunk screaming college students to get to the counter, the slice of cheap pizza is worth the struggle…and possible injury.
5.The Chilla Thrilla: This ingenious invention resides at what used to be The Blue Canoe and is now a K with a circle around it. For as little as $1.39 you can purchase 44 ounces of the soda of your choice. And as if this deal isn't ridiculous enough, if you refill your cup it costs only $ .97 including tax, for ANY SIZE refill! Do you know what you could purchase with the money saved from buying a Chilla Thrilla? A lot of stuff that's what you could buy! If they do not have some form of the Chilla Thrilla in Canton I may throw myself in front of some poor Amish person's buggy.
The Chilla Thrilla, now called “Ice Cold To Go” is the reason I wake up every morning.
6.Awk, wicked, F, and every other annoying abbreviation I use: I don't really know how people outside of Durham speak, but I don't think its anything like me. I dread having to explain my every sentence to some poor New Yorker, I can only hope that they use abbreviations as well. Perhaps I will be able to pick up more slang and fun contractions and we will craete a whole new language! Well, I can always dream.
7.David Jasinski/ Terril Covey: These two men have made this journalistic experience fun. Their sense of humor, their sarcasm, their criticism, and their judgmental glances have made Mouth of the River a sufferable class. They always had a helpful hand and some consrtuctive criticism to offer. I will miss these two jokesters next year!
8.That time that JoJo and the Hamm brothers came to the Whittemore Center: This random experience changed my life. In case you don't remember the Hamm brothers, who were at the summer Olympics in 2004, and were AMAZING! They did choreographed gymnastics routines and then during the intermission JoJo sang! My 14 year old heart was so jazzed up on adrenaline, I almost fell over dead. I don't remember having an amazing visual experience quite like that before or since. I will miss the random performances that come to UNH, such as Lupe Fiasco, Dropkick Murphy's, Ludacris and of course JoJo.
Oak trees don’t have acorns until they are at least 50.
The most amazing experience in the universe
9.Realizing that the people of Lee have created not 1, but 2 "gangs": In no other suburban area would there be not one but two gangs created in the boonies of Lee. When I first heard of Lee Crew made up of several sophomores I of course assumed it was a joke, but no, it truly does exist. Thankfully I was soon informed that they do not in fact go out kicking puppies as I assumed all gangs do which in turn made the idea of Lee Crew more tolerable. But I was shocked when I was telling someone about Lee Crew and I was notified that another Lee gang had existed before Lee Crew. It turns out '07 had a gang…called Lee Unit. I can only say, only in New Hampshire.
10.UNH kids: My homes location in Down Town Durham can be ridiculously annoying at times, but I have become accustomed to the sounds of drunk college students reverberating through my window at night lulling me too sleep. Thankfully I will be at my own college soon enough, but there isn't any place like UNH and there aren't any students like UNH students. Though the residents of Durham voice strong dislikes for the UNH students, they provide entertainment, diversity and they are the only reason some places in Durham stay open past 7:00 p.m. UNH kids, Durham would be pretty lame without you, and I will miss you greatly next year. Hopefully the Canton kids are as cool as you. So farewell Durham! Its been nice, its been fun, but I am moving on to smaller, hopefully better things. I will see you in the far, far future. Well, in like, November when I come home for Thanksgiving break.
During second lunch at a table right outside Mr. Maynard’s office, two students approached a military recruiter and posed many controversial questions. Voices were raised and the scene attracted the interest of many who witnessed it.
Every year, Oyster River invites various organizations to educate students about post-graduation options other than college during a career fair. Every year a spokesperson from the military is present. Two seniors, Brett Chamberlin and Alex Freid, independently chose to interact with the represenative and posed many questions. The scene that ensued caused concern amongst some students. Mrs. Rogers asked MOR to give the two seniors an opportunity to clarify the event. The views expressed here are not representative of this newspaper or any school organization.
Clarification StatementAlex and I chose to talk to the military recruiter because we are concerned with the presence of such a person in what is supposed to be a place of learning. There are documented examples of recruiters lying or providing misinformation to students. I concede that the questions Alex and I asked were personal questions that could only be answered by that specific recruiter. While I don't think asking hard and admittedly personal questions constitutes as an attack, we should have been asking questions about the Navy or military as a whole. However, the answers that he gave to our questions were extremely alarming.
I don't think we attacked him like people are saying we did. We asked hard questions, but we listened to his answers and allowed him to justify them. We asked personal questions, but we never pressed for an answer if he didn't want to provide one. Another term that people are using is that we "ganged up on him". I also think that this is misleading. Alex and I were the only two critical people speaking to this recruiter, while there was a crowd of his supporters gathered around. The note on Facebook Alex and I published has inspired a lot of debate and discussion. Much of it is good, and plenty of it is not. I hope that any discussion that comes of this can remain positive and constructive and that both "sides" can learn from one another. Otherwise, we risk dragging each other down.
Dahlia Sawtelle: “I don’t care if you have an opinion (about army recruiting), but you can’t be rude to those to protect our country... If you don’t approve of the people in the military recruiting, the alternative is reinstating the draft...”
Lana Caili: “I thought it was dumb and disrespectful... you can have an opinion but not be rude.”
I was very surprised by some of the things the recruiter said. I have talked with many recruiters in the past, I have asked many similar questions, and our conversations have always remained mutually respectful and very interesting. In his defense, he was the most honest recruiter I have ever talked to, he even told us that he considers the Navy to be the most dangerous branch of the military. However, some of the things that he said about torturing prisoners and the Constitution were definitely not what I was expecting.
As for the rumors about us "attacking the recruiter." We just wanted to make it clear that we were not trying to be condescending or disrespectful. These are legitimate questions that every student should be asking, and recruiters are the people who are there to answer the questions for you. If you are considering joining the military, we want to make sure you get a fair and equal chance. We know many people who have been lied to by their recruiter or were put in situations that they weren't comfortable with and that isn't fair to them. We just want every student to know what they are getting themselves into. We are at a time right now where the military boasts money for college and strength and leadership skills, when you have thousands of soldiers who have committed suicide, hundreds of thousands of soldiers with PTSD, and many soldiers who have been jailed for torturing prisoners - after following orders to do so.
It's a tricky time to join the military and we want to make sure that all of our fellow classmates get an equal and fair opportunity.
Most Americans’ car horns beep in the key of “F”.
Each year a group of seniors gets recognized for the tremendous amount of hard work and dedication they put into their sports for all three seasons of all four high school years. These athletes are a big part of the Oyster River Athletic Program and help make the program as strong and successful as it is. Although it sounds easy to be a 12 season athlete, the number of students who achieve this goal shows that it takes a lot more time, dedication and talent to recieve this award. Injuries, grades and lack of time often prevent students from being able to compete. The competitiveness of sports at Oyster River is also a factor in student athletes making sports teams every year.
Oyster River’s Athletic Director Don Maynard is impressed with the number of students who are recieving the 12-season athlete award this year. “It shows how well rounded a kid is,” explains Maynard. “It really shows self discipline and time management.” Maynard explains that if you were to look at the class rank of most of these students, many of them would be at the top of the list.
Marie Collins
Jill Friel
Sarah Anderson
Ricky Hoyt
Mike Noronha
Stephen Wilson
Gabe Dorfsman-Hopkins
Emily Allen
Jon Owens
David Wilson
Eryn True
Rob Lane
Nate Hoff
Eileen Slavin
Sarah Trombley
Bridgette Beagen
Ramzi Bensaid
Senior Sarah Anderson has participated in a variation of sports throughout her high school career. She participated in a combination of cross country, track, softball and skiing. "It's cool to be a 12 season athlete, not all seniors achieve this even if they set out to," explains Anderson.
Jon Owens is a proud 12 season athlete. During his freshmen and sophomore years Owens played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring. When Owens was a junior he still played volleyball, but in the winter and spring he decided to run track.
There are 17 seniors who received this award this year. During the awards ceremony on Monday, June 8th, these students will be recognized in front of their peers, teachers and parents. Congratulations to all the athletes who have worked so hard at achieving this award and good luck to those who hope to continue their sports career after high school!
Men are 6 times more likely to be struck be lightning than women.
This year there are eight students graduating from Oyster River getting ready to pursue their sports careers in college. Competing in college sports is a big commitment in college and not everyone is able to balance sports with school. These are just some of the athletes who will be competing at the collegiate level. There are many students who may find themselves eventually playing on a college team, or playing for club and intermural teams.
Jill Friel will be following in her sister’s footsteps and has accepted a full scholarship to play basketball at The University of New Hampshire.
Lana Ciali is going to continue her track career and attend The University of New Hampshire. Ciali is more excited than nervous and hopes that she won't lose her drive for the sport.
Marie Collins is also attending The University of New Hampshire next year to be on the track team. Collins will be high jumping and possibly hurdling next year and hopes to improve her high jumping skills.
Bridget Burns will be playing trying out for the softball team at Susquehanna University. She has been in contact with the coach at Susquehanna and is confident in making the team.
Emily Allen will be playing field hockey at Holy Cross. Allen was Field Hockey Player of the Year last fall and will be continuing her athletic career in college.
Ricky Hoyt has been recruited to run for the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Annapolis just invested in a new track and Hoyt is excited to finally have a home track.
Ben Rollins will be playing Division 3 soccer at Suffolk University. Because the soccer team is D3 Rollins isn't able to get an athletic scholarship, but he is receiving an academic scholarship.
Robbie Daigle has been talking to the baseball coach at the University of Southern Maine. Although Daigle hasn't been able to pitch this season, he is hoping to recover by the baseball season next year.
There are other athletes who may get the chance to play sports beyond high school. Due to the competitive nature of sports and all of the factors that come into playing a college sport, not all athletes are able to compete at a college level. Good luck to all the athletes pursuing their athletic careers and congratulations!
Robbie Greenleaf stands perfectly still, his head turned to the side, staring straight at the catchers mit. "Come on Robbie, finish him off!" a fan shouts from the stands. The ball leaves his mit, and two seconds later TWHACK slams into the glove behind home plate. "STRIKE" shouts the umpire in an inaudible voice. Baseball isn't having their best season this year, according to Robbie Daigle. "We have a really young team this year," Daigle explained, listing a number of sophomores like Greenleaf, Jack Garnhart, and Spencer Wyand "In the future this team is gonna be killer!" Daigle stated.
With a record of 2 wins the 2009 Varsity baseball team has had a rough season. "Now that Spencer's out for the season things are only gonna get harder," Daigle reasoned.
Despite the difficulty of the season, the members of the team are very close. "This year has been wicked fun," junior Alex Meissner said.
"We hang out all the time outside of practices and games," Sophomore Jack Garnhart explained. "We take the closeness of the team off the field with us."
Softball:
In their uniforms, the softball team cuts quite the image. The shiny black and blue uniforms can really only be described as BA. The team itself, though they don't have the highest wins record in our school, is possibly one of the hardest working teams in the school. Watching them practice is occasionally frightening when you see the speed of Eryn True's pitches, or the intensity in Bridget Burns' game face. "We conditioned like the military," Burns stated.
"This year has been pretty consistent to other years," senior Eryn True explained. "We haven't won a game yet, but the grades are all very close," she said, while explaining that she wished there was more mingling between the grades. "Overall to sum up our season I would say good effort butnot good execution."
The Boys tennis team has been having a great season so far. They have some great players hitting the courts. Their top ranked players are Bornkessel, Weilin Li, and Tony Limauro (respectively). The girls are having a good season as well. "We're doing pretty good, I think we'll make playoffs." Gabby Guerra proclaimed. Their top ranked players are Jill Freil, Delany Guerino, and Kellee Jackson (respectively). Both teams have done great job on the court, and restocking the woods with tennis balls.
The Boys' Varsity Lacrosse team has had a rocky season and was very close to not making the playoffs this year. On Tuesday May 27'th the boys had a big game against the number two seed Dover High School. The boys let up the first goal to Dover, but then they pulled forward and ended up winning the game10-6 and snuck into the playoffs. Yesterday they played in the quarter finals at Bow High School at 5:00. This game determined whether or not they would be in final four this year.
The Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team has had a really strong season this year. As of now they are 11-2, their only loss being to Hollis-Brookline who is undefeated. "We have been really strong this year," explains senior Amryth Gass. "We only lost to Hollis and they were undefeated.” The girls are not done with their season yet, today they play at home against Kingswood at 5:00. This will determine if they make it to the final four. Fans should go cheer on the team and support the girls. Good luck!
The outdoor track team has also done very well this season. There were a lot of breakthrough throwers for javelin, as well as some great relays and individual races. Zack Wasserman and Alex Johnson are top notch members of the throwing team despite it being their first year. The girl's team has had a good season. Lana Ciali leads the team scoring, but there is a lot of other athletes who will soon go down in the record books. . Sarah Coit did well getting third in fastest heat for hurdles (only 2.1 seconds behind Lana. Alyssa Johnson (it must run in the family) also had some great throws for Javelin, wining their last meat against Portsmouth and St. Thomas.
Every 45 seconds a house catches fire.
The "Secret Spots" on the Connecticut River: Although quite far away, the Connecticut River remains a very prime location in my book. It runs along the NH VT boarder. I would say the best use is that of waterskiing, because of its long winding miles of wind protected glassy water that makes skiing very pleasant. The swimming is good as well. There are three specific spots that are great for swimming and playing. The first is any of the sand cliffs (the banks of the river are almost constantly lined with sand cliffs, however many of the cliffs are lined with poison sumac and ivy.) The second is a very interesting waterfall section. It is very far up river, and like Swains Lake riddled with mosquitoes. The waterfall is very nice, and could possibly be used as a waterslide, although there are a lot of rocks which would make it dangerous. The third (and in my opinion best) venue is the rope swing. There are many rope swings along the river, but there is one that is a true monster of a rope swing. Fixed about
150 feet about the water is a cable that runs all the way down the tree to a small section of rope to hold on to. The bank is a sheer cliff with a small tree platform that the daring can jump from. The platform sits around 15-20 feet about the 30 foot bank. Above this small platform is an even smaller triangular platform called "the triangle" few brave souls have dared to do "the triangle" because it is the least sturdy looking structure ever built, and it is very high off of the ground which is above the cliff to the water. The depth of the water is perfect though, the problem resides in the height of the water (controlled by damn releases). When the water is high, the rope section of the rope swing is slightly too low and users often hit the water while swinging down. The best time to do is a post damn release period. Overall I would give the quality of this rope swing an A++, users can swing from multiple different locations, so it is good for people of all abilities. However the only problem is that it is pretty far from Durham. The location of this place has been held secret for many generations of disruptive college students, but I can say that it is behind a golf course near the VT/NH boarder. GradeA/B+ (long drive)
Also a secretive spot for swimming is the Saco River cliffs. The cliffs offer huge variation on size and risk. They have everything from a small trestle bridge, to huge 50-60 foot cliffs (that have a blind take off). Satisfaction is definitely guaranteed but there is a high risk involved. Nothing is perfectly safe even when you're not jumping off of cliffs, and when you add that factor in safety is a huge concern. Most of the jumping spots have view points to scope the exact trajectory of the fall, and can help people make a decision whether or not to jump. Like the Connecticut River, these are pretty far away (around an hour drive). There is usually a small crowd of experienced locals who know how to jump to be safe, but it is definitely a good call to check all the landings before jumping. There are so many venues for this spot, but because of the drive and the danger factor the grade is slightly below perfect.
Grade: A-
Dogs and cats, are either right of left handed.
Wiswall Dam:
One of the most popular, and widely known swimming spots in the area, is Wiswall Dam. On Wiswall Drive off of Packers Falls road, right past the Wiswall Antiques store there is a large green bridge crossing over the lamprey river. To the right of the bridge the river can be seen down to the next bend, flowing towards the bridge. To the left of the bridge, the river drops off after about 200 ft. over an old damn. As soon as the weather gets hot, it is rare to drive over the bridge without seeing people jumping in, swimming around, or fishing below the damn. The bridge was once just a simple bridge with a guard rail, until in the floods two years ago; the bridge was destroyed by the waters. The new bridge was built to be sturdier and to discourage jumpers. Only half of that worked. As it turned out this new bridge, built high with green painted metal, only drew a larger crowd. The new rails created three different jumping levels, helping the bridge to cater to more jumpers. The lowest level is below the bridge, the second slightly higher than the bridge's level, and the highest reaches about 10 feet above the bridge. "I actually really like the new bridge. I was always really scared to jump off before, but now I can go off the lowest level without getting scared!" exclaimed Senior Sarah Anderson. In between the bridge and the damn there are two other main attractions that draw swimmers to Wiswall. In the middle of the water there is a very large rock that, though hard to find, is often covered with sitting and standing swimmers. On the shore parallel to the rock a very large tree holds a rope swing, that you can occasionally see the more daring swimmers dropping from into the river. The only downside is the popularity, at times there are too many jumpers clogging up the bridge, and swimming loses its fun. Overall Wiswall is one of the best swimming spots in the local area. It's close, and has very diverse swimming options.
Grade: A-
"The Trestle":
I squinted my eyes as I stared up at the jumper from the water, treading in the calm deep blue. The strangers in the canoe close to us shouted in anticipation as they readied the video camera.
"READY?!" screamed the jumper, though his voice sounded distant and muffled from on top of the Trestle.
"Do it!" the canoeists shouted.
We all shouted in unison as he flew off of the top railing above the bridge, his sneakers peddling through the air for what seemed like minutes, till he hit the water with a satisfying boom.
"That was intense!" he told me afterwards. "I'm glad I wore my shoes, it still hurt my feet through them when I hit the water."
The trestle is essentially Wiswall on steroids. The jump from the bridge is about 30 feet, and from the top railing it's around 50 feet. There is one large problem with the bridge…since it was turned into and Amtrak rail (see pg. 3) it is now illegal to be on the bridge. In terms of actually swimming, there is no problem. The woods around the bridge are also fair game for relaxing in. Though I am in no way condoning jumping from the bridge, or any other illegal activity, the general consensus is that jumping from the track level makes for a fun summer day. Not many people are brave enough to climb up the railings, and take the jump from the very top point. "I was never brave enough to jump from the top," an anonymous source confessed. "It is so high! Jumping off of the tracks was scary enough." The river around the trestle is not necessarily the best swimming spot. It's a nice quiet area though; there aren't usually a large number of swimmers. So if you want some privacy while swimming in the middle of the woods it's a good break from Wiswall. Overall the trestle is not that significant of a swimming spot without breaking the law. It's mildly dangerous to jump from so high, and there is the risk of getting in trouble with the police or Amtrak if you make the choice to be on the
Swains Lake is a good middle sized lake. It has enough space for motorboats, but is not too big for kayaks or canoes. As far as swimming is concerned, there is a set of rocks that are good for jumping off; the accessibility to these rocks however is very difficult. The easiest way to access it is probably by boat. It is possible to get there via land, but there is a lot of bushwhacking, and a significant lack of trail. Upon reaching the spot, there were quite a few bugs hungry and ready. Because of its location near a pretty stagnant portion of the lake, I would suggest bug spray. There are rocks in the water, but it is possible to jump off in very specific locations, and off of specific places. Overall the un-accessibility and danger, I would say this is a place best explored when you also have a boat for entertainment. Grade C/ C-
Nose prints are used to identify dogs like humans use fingerprints.
Living in New England has its downfalls, and its perks. One of the best things about living in the seacoast during the summer is the beach. The sand, the sun, the waves; I can't imagine there are any members of our school who have not been to the beach at least once. If you haven't… GO!
There are several different options in terms of beaches near us. Though it's a bit of a drive, the closest beach is about twenty minutes from Durham, often it's worth the trip. Some of the more popular beaches include Hampton beach, Rye beach, Newcastle beach, Long and Short sands in Maine, Pirates Cove, and Wallis Sands. These beaches offer a wide array of wave sizes, beach sizes, and sand.
Now to rank the beach against the local swim spots on rivers there are a couple of things you have to take into account. The decision comes down to a lot of personal decisions. Salt water vs. Freshwater. Sand vs. Trees. Waves vs. jumping from heights. The beach is also often a full day kind of thing; the long drive usually means a full day is spent at the beach. To spend the whole day out in the hot sun there is some preparation required. "I love going to the beach and just spending the entire day there," junior Carol Messler raved. "There is so much to do…you can swim, tan, take a walk, or you can just sleep on your towel all day!"
Though many people love the beach and its diversity, there are many people who don't enjoy certain things. "I hate all the sand," junior Daniel Olken complained.
"Sometimes it gets so crowded, and then it's just annoying," senior Lana Ciali explained, while talking about her favorite beaches Short and Long sands.
Overall to grade the beach is very difficult. It's a very personal thing, and it also depends greatly on which beach you go to and which day you choose. The drive definitely loses it points, but the diversity in activity options gains some back. So you make the call.
However you spend your summer, if you're in the Durham area, where you swim is up to you. Hopefully this has helped to open up your eyes to new swim spots, and maybe you will find a new favorite. Enjoy your summer, swim as MUCH as you can, and maybe I'll see you at Wiswall!
Smelling bananas and/or green apples can help you lose weight.
All year you have been reading about the injuries recieved by athletes in our school. Though often injuries are a big setback in a sports season, a lot of injuries are pretty sick. By sick, I mean they can get pretty intense. This year, for our final issue, I decided to look back over all of the injuries of the months, and pick a winner to recieve injury of the year! Unfortunately there were two injuries that occured this year that were pretty much equal intenseness, so I was forced to pick two winners. Graham Phelps and Daniel Olken!!
Remind us what your injury was?
It broke my femur while trying to land a ski jump
How is your injury doing now?
It's a lot better, there's still some pain, my hip is kind of always in pain, but there's no more knee pain
How is the injury affecting your sports now?
I played soccer last week and I was fine. I'm wicked out of shape, right now I have the lung capacity of a mouse
What's your favorite color?
Teal
Did people point and laugh at you?
All in good fun…I think
Can you look back and laugh now?
Yeah, I mean it kind of ruined a lot of track.
Did it hurt while dancing at prom?
Yeah, my hip hurt a lot
It I hit it right now would it hurt?
No not really
What's your favorite food? Chinese food
Best part of the injury? I got some attention...?
Who's your BFF?
Bucky Favorite Freshman?
Luna
What's the most BA thing you've done since the injury? …I rolled through a stop sign after prom.
Remind us what your injury was?
I broke my tibia (big shin bone) in a semi-final soccer game. How is your injury doing now?
My injury is doing good now, the fracture should be 100% healed.
How is the injury affecting your sports now?
It's not really much of a setback, the fracture site is just a little tender if it gets hit real hard. What's your favorite color?
My favorite color is probably green right now, but it changes a lot.
Did people point and laugh at you? Well other than Eyad, not really. Can you look back and laugh now?
Yeah there were times like when I hallucinated a bear on my meds that are pretty hiliarious to look back on. Did it hurt while dancing at prom?
Nah
It I hit it right now would it hurt?
Yeah I think if you hit anyone in the shin it would hurt them
What's your favorite food?
Buffalo Tenders
Best part of the injury? The baked goods from all the lovely mothers. Who's your BFF?
I got too many to say one
Favorite Freshman?
Tom Gehling
What's the most BA thing you've done since the injury?
Climbed a tall tree
The poison-arrow frog has enough poison to kill about 2,200 people.
“There were times like when I halluncinated a bear on my meds...”Graham tears up the lacrosse field post injury Stuck in a wheel chair for the winter Marie Collins
What do we do with our free time? Oyster River is lucky to have a good outdoor lunch area which allows students who are in need of some physical activity a chance to get outside. Activities range from playing hacky sack, or the same game with a soccer ball to sleeping on the grass. One popular
activity is frisbee, but every now and then there can be everything from archery to flying a kite. Most students tend to stick with the sitting and talking agenda, but Oyster River lunch is always filled with fun filled activities and good times.
After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again.
